Wildfire threat is beginning to ease with weekend rain. This is good news after much of West Michigan entered into the weekend with moderate to severe drought conditions and high wildfire danger.
Unseasonably warm, dry and and windy conditions had fire officials and first responders carefully watching for grass and brush fires heading into the weekend. Outdoor burning was highly discouraged, with the high risk of grass and brush fires to spread quickly.
Many counties across Lower Michigan were facing moderate or severe drought conditions. Officially, Grand Rapids had reported a precipitation deficit of -2.54 inches for the year so far. Grand Rapids has received less than an inch of precipitation so far in March; following a February which featured less than an inch of precipitation for the entire month.
The rain came along on schedule for the weekend; with several episodes of much-needed precipitation. A batch of overnight showers and thunderstorms Friday night into early Saturday morning brought as much as a half-inch of rain to many communities. More rain arrived late Saturday night into early Sunday.
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