Could summer rain dampen Bear Gulch Fire burning in WA? Here’s what experts say

Washington residents wouldn’t normally welcome a week of rain amid a stretch of sunny summer weather.

With Washington’s wildfire season in full swing, however, state officials were excited to see rain in the forecast.

“The No. 1 way to reduce fire danger is to rain on it,” Matthew Dehr, wildland fire meteorologist at the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, told McClatchy via phone.

Firefighters could be “dropping hundreds of gallons of water from helicopters, from scooper planes” on wildfires,” Dehr said, but “it doesn’t compare to getting a half an inch or an inch of rain ...”

Here’s how the rain is expected to effect Washington’s active wildfires.

Where is Bear Gulch Fire burning in Western Washington?

The Bear Gulch Fire sparked in early July near Lake Cushman