FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) _ The Texas Forest Service says Texans and firefighters may get a break this winter and spring on the heels of a couple of massive wildfire seasons across the state.
Officials predict that more rain will lead to a below-normal wildfire threat across most of the state and a normal threat for the Panhandle and the area from Midland to Abilene.
Texas Forest Service spokesman Nick Harrison says agency officials are keeping an eye on the tall grasses, bushes and other vegetation that sprang up because of the rainy autumn, especially since some freezing conditions have dried it out. But he says it has posed no real hazard so far because of the above-normal rainfall over most of the state, thanks to the El Nino weather phenomenon.