It's not just that the weather can create the conditions for wildfires, it can actually start them, when lightning strikes.
And the biggest fires are not only influenced by the weather, they can create their own; think about lightning created in pyrocumulus clouds, or the "firenadoes" we've seen in recent years.
We get a glimpse of the many variables, and how to track them, from two pros: meteorologist Robyn Heffernan and fire behavior specialist Erik Christiansen.
Heffernan works for NOAA at the National Interagency Fire Centerin Boise, Christiansen is also Boise-based, but now retired.