The above normal rainfall from this past Spring and Summer followed by drier than normal conditions this Fall have led to conditions that could to lead to wildfires this winter as the fuel load from good forage growth, which is now drying, provides the perfect conditions for wildfire on our rangelands and pastures.

Recent cold fronts are providing very limited moisture, and this is adding to the potential wildfire threat. To address this issue, the National Weather Service's 2010 South Texas Fire Weather and Drought Partners meeting will be conducted Wednesday, December 15, 2010, at the Del Mar College - West Campus, 4101 Old Brownsville Rd, Corpus Christi, Texas. 

The meeting will be held in the Emerging Technologies Building, Room 105, with registration beginning at 8:00 a.m. followed by the program from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

This meeting is designed for wildfire and prescribed burn interests, farmers and ranchers, broadcast and print media, and emergency managers.  The meeting will provide a detailed outlook for the 2011 fire season, comparisons of this season to recent wet to dry pattern transitions, drought outlooks, lessons learned from recent prescribed burns, decision making in ranching based on weather predictions and much more.  Pesticide applicators will be awarded 3 CEUs for participating in the meeting.