logo
Riverside County supervisors approve fire chief's request to close hiking trails during wildfire season

Riverside County supervisors approve fire chief's request to close hiking trails during wildfire season

CBS News21-05-2025

The Riverside Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve a request from the county fire chief to close a number of outdoor recreational locations and hiking trails for the duration of the looming wildfire season.
Since 2007, the Riverside County Fire Department has sought to receive authorization from officials to close designated grounds in the central and southwest regions in the county from June to November to minimize public safety risk.
"Due to the potential for large damaging human-caused fires, the county fire chief has determined these areas should be closed, except on public roadways and on inhabited areas of private property within the closure area," said a statement from the department. "The potential for large damaging fires this year may be enhanced by the extreme vegetation growth experienced throughout Riverside County."
Fire Chief Bill Weiser plans to implement the closures beginning on June 15.
Even with lower precipitation levels from the average last winter, much of Southern California experienced exponential growth after multiple storms in late-March and April. That vegetation has since turned brown, especially with warmer weather settling in over recent weeks.
Because of this, officials say that several locations are now set to close due to the difficulty in managing the vegetation, the rough terrain and their remoteness, fire officials said.
Those locations include:
Bautista Canyon, located southeast of Hemet near the Anza Valley and San Jacinto Valley,
Eagle Canyon, near Lake Matthews and the county landfill north of Cajalco Road,
Indian Canyon and North Mountain near San Jacinto,
Ramona Bowl south of Hemet,
Steele Peak, located between Meadowbrook and Good Hope north of Lake Elsinore,
and Whitewater Canyon near Cabazon.
Officials say that the Ramona Bowl will remain accessible between sunrise and noon daily, but that it will be off-limits afterwards.By limiting foot traffic and off-road vehicles in those areas, firefighters believe the chance of a significant wildfire breaking out are much slimmer.
Crews will place closure signs at entry points at each of the locations, warning violators of potential fines and other penalties, but residents will be allowed to travel through the areas as always.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

It has never rained on June 11 in Phoenix. Could it happen this year? Here's what to know
It has never rained on June 11 in Phoenix. Could it happen this year? Here's what to know

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

It has never rained on June 11 in Phoenix. Could it happen this year? Here's what to know

Metro Phoenix's dry summer weather isn't surprising. However, residents may be shocked to know that there is one day it has never rained — June 11. Since the National Weather Service began keeping records nearly 130 years ago, Phoenix has only seen trace amounts of rain, meaning the moisture was so light that it was not measurable, according to meteorologist Mark O'Malley. That was in 1991. There are also two other dates — May 30 and June 16 — where just 0.01 inch of rain has fallen, O'Malley confirmed. Why is that? It's because June is the driest month in Phoenix. Here's why metro Phoenix sees such dry weather in June and what to expect this week. June is the driest month for metro Phoenix, O'Malley said. On average, only 0.02 inches of rain falls during the whole month. Most years, including 2023 and 2019, no rain falls during June. "Just to get rain on any single day is an uncommon occurrence," he said. This year, an early June storm system dumped more than an inch of rain around the northern reaches of metro Phoenix, hinting at more moisture ahead than the Valley has seen over recent summers. "The first part of monsoon is not as wet as later in the monsoon," O'Malley said. "You have to pull in a lot more moisture. For Phoenix specifically, we don't start to see thunderstorms due to monsoon until about the beginning of July." News alerts in your inbox: Don't miss the important news of the day. Sign up for azcentral newsletter alerts to be in the know. Though monsoon starts on June 15, there is no rain in the forecast, O'Malley said. "We're looking for seasonably warm conditions with high temperatures in metro Phoenix of 105 to 110 degrees and then getting hotter over the weekend," he said. Here is the weather forecast for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the official weather station, according to the weather service: June 10: Sunny during the day, with a high near 106. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 81. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. June 11: Sunny during the day, with a high near 107. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Clear at night, with a low around 81. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light west southwest after midnight. June 12: Sunny during the day, with a high near 108. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 81. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. June 13: Sunny during the day, with a high near 107. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 81. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. June 14: Sunny during the day, with a high near 109. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 82. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. June 15: Sunny and hot during the day, with a high near 111. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Arizona Republic reporter Russ Wiles contributed to this article. What will summer be like in Arizona? What NOAA, AccuWeather, almanacs predict This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: It has never rained on June 11 in Phoenix. Could it happen this year?

Northern Lights Alert: Aurora Borealis May Appear In These 8 States Tuesday
Northern Lights Alert: Aurora Borealis May Appear In These 8 States Tuesday

Forbes

time4 hours ago

  • Forbes

Northern Lights Alert: Aurora Borealis May Appear In These 8 States Tuesday

A selection of states in the northern U.S. may have an opportunity to view the northern lights Tuesday, as auroral activity is expected to be calmer through the week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Auroral activity will likely be calmer through the week, forecasters said. Auroral activity is forecast with a Kp index of three on a scale of nine for Tuesday night, indicating the northern lights will be visible farther from the poles and could be 'quite pleasing to look at' for anyone in the right areas. No geomagnetic storms or increased solar radiation are expected through Thursday night, NOAA's projections suggest, after earlier coronal mass ejections created 'minor' storms that pulled the northern lights to more states. Tuesday night's forecast is the strongest over the next two days, with a maximum Kp index of two projected for Wednesday and Thursday, according to NOAA's three-day forecast. A view line marking a minimal opportunity of viewing the aurora borealis is forecast just south of the Canadian border, with a lesser chance projected for parts of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Most of Canada and Alaska have a higher chance. (See map below.) Tuesday's view line. NOAA suggests traveling between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time to an unobstructed, north-facing and high vantage point away from light pollution to see the northern lights. NASA recommends enabling night mode, disabling flash and selecting a slower shutter speed if using a smartphone. With a regular camera, the agency suggests using a tripod to stabilize the image, a wide-angle lens, an aperture or F-stop of four or less and a focus set to the furthest possible setting. More people in the U.S. have had opportunities to see the aurora borealis over the last year, after activity on the sun's surface reached a 'solar maximum.' This peak, which marks an increase in solar events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, occurs periodically during the sun's 11-year cycle. Electrons from these events are responsible for the northern lights, as they release energy in the form of colorful, swirling lights after colliding with oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store