Unseasonably warm and dry conditions with a little bit of wind make for great weather to enjoy the fall foliage, but also prime conditions for wildfires.
“Once the leaves begin to fall off the trees, then the sun can begin to hit the ground in the forest and dry out the fuels,” said Lee Robertson, meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Mount Holly.
“The grasses are going dormant and drying out. That’s tinder,” said Dave Robinson, New Jersey state climatologist. “Leaves are starting to fall off the trees. That’s tinder. You just need a spark to get something going.”
A wildfire in Rockaway at the weekend grew to 77 acres. The state’s Forest Fire Service had it 70% contained as of Monday afternoon. Thirteen structures were initially threatened, but those threats have subsided, according to the Forest Fire Service. No one has been forced to evacuate.
“The weather is definitely going to be a factor. It’s only getting warmer, and there’s a possibility of some wind coming in over the next couple of days,” said Todd Sacchiero, section fire warden. “That might change things a little bit. But that’s why we’re working really hard right now to make sure that things stay the same.”
New Jersey recently issued a drought watch, its first since 2022, which requests that people use less water without the force of law. If the drought persists, state officials say it could be upgraded to a drought warning or drought emergency, which could impose regulations or restrictions on water use.
