"It could be a very long, hotsummer with a lot of potential for fires if they get started and if we continue to have thehot dry weather, " said Hutchinson.
Some analysts were attributing part of the unexpected drop-off to one-time factors such as unusually hotsummerweather, which has left many parents and kids less than eager to shop for clothes with legs and long sleeves.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it is monitoring weather conditions and has not made a decision to close the two main bridges in Massachusetts summerhot spot, Cape Cod.