Budget woes, cuts to the federal wildfire-fighting workforce and President Donald Trump's threats against Canada have made it more difficult for state officials to plan for the upcoming wildfire season. In Washington, a $12 billion budget shortfall prompted majority Democrats in the Legislature this week to propose significantly slicing spending on wildfire prevention. State Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dave Upthegrove says those drastic cuts would endanger public safety. As Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency slashes federal spending, the Trump administration withheld money for wildfire mitigation in several states and then fired thousands of workers involved in firefighting from various agencies.

A major storm moving through Northern California toppled trees and dropped heavy snow and record amounts of rain after knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Washington and Oregon. Forecasters warn the risk of flash flooding and rock slides would continue through Friday. The weather service has extended a flood watch for areas north of San Francisco as a plume of moisture known as an atmospheric river inundates Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Up to 16 inches of rain is forecast in Northern California and southwestern Oregon. The storm system unleashed winds earlier this week that left two people dead and hundreds of thousands without power in Washington state.