Article: Chance of thunderstorms brings wildfire threat of dry lightning.(City/Region)

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

It's a forecast to send chills up the spine of Oregon firefighters: thunderstorms in the Cascades with the possibility of dry lightning.

The National Weather Service forecast reports just a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms by Wednesday. But the Oregon Department of Forestry takes it seriously, low probability notwithstanding, said Rod Nichols, department spokesman.

Dry lightning striking bone-dry fuels can do as much damage as fires started by careless people. In 2007, people caused 73,000 fires that burned on 3.4 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, while 12,000 lightning-fueled blazes ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!