South Dakota is still in a drought. The state has also seen numerous wildfires this summer.
Darren Clabo is the state’s fire meteorologist. He says the two are directly linked.
“Drought and wildfires are very well correlated during the summer months. All South Dakota has been seeing, you know, abnormally dry all the way up to extreme drought conditions. And with those dry conditions, it's leading to dry fuels and therefore more wildfires.”
Clabo says the outlook for this month is mixed.
“Right now it's looking like the western third of the state is going to be near or even drier than average. In Central and Eastern South Dakota, there are some hints that you might have at least average moisture and possibly even some above-average precipitation through the end of September.”
Parts of the state have seen the driest growing season on record.
This story comes from a recent interview on SDPB's weekday radio program, "In the Moment." Listen to the full interview below.