California's super-dry February raises specter of early fires and low reservoirs
LOS ANGELES - California is set to conclude one of its driest Februaries in recorded history, elevating fears the state's always-unpredictable fire season could arrive early this year - if March doesn't provide bring some wet relief.
February is typically a prime month for Pacific storms to produce much of the Sierra Nevada snowpack - moisture that sustains wildlife, delays wildfire season and serves as a water bank for thirsty cities and farms. But those storms didn't arrive in February, with a state survey this week showing the snowpack was 46% of average.
After an unusually wet winter last year, many of
