There are 14 uncontained large fires currently burning nationwide. 2,825 personnel are assigned to incidents across the country, including two complex incident management teams supporting response efforts.
So far this year, 30,298 fires have burned more than 2.4 million acres nationwide. The nation’s largest fire currently is the Seven Cabins Fire in New Mexico, where closures remain in effect and structures are threatened. However, fire behavior is reported to be minimal and containment is improving.
Remember that most wildfires in the United States are human-caused and preventable. Taking simple precautions, such as avoiding parking on vegetation, checking equipment and trailer chains to prevent dragging, following local fire restrictions, and ensuring that campfires and barbeques are out cold before you walk away can help reduce wildfire risk and protect communities, firefighters, and public lands.
Weather
The closed and cold upper-level low that has been stalled across California will push eastward across the Columbia and Great basins and northern Arizona Friday. As it does so, showers are expected across the Pacific Northwest and gusty westerly winds are expected across the Cascades into the Columbia Basin. Critical fire weather conditions are forecast for portions of the Four Corners states due to gusty winds of 40-45mph and relative humidity 7-20%. There is a possibility of isolated, mostly dry thunderstorms in eastern Nevada, southern Utah, northwest Arizona, and southwest Colorado in the afternoon to evening. There is higher potential for thunderstorms further north and east across the mountains of Idaho and most of Montana as well as along the Front Range into the Central and southern High Plains southward to Texas. These storms are expected to be a mix of wet and dry. A slow-moving frontal boundary across the Central Plains extending southeast into Missouri and Arkansas to the Georgia and Florida east coasts will receive the most precipitation with a half of an inch to 1.5 inches likely. Temperatures will be most above normal across the northern Front Range of the Rockies, Upper Midwest, and Great Lakes, in the 80s to near 90F. Meanwhile, below normal temperatures are expected across the Southwest and California and much of Oregon and western Washington. A cold and fast moving, vigorous low-pressure system will clip across the Northeast with rain and even some mountain snow.
Daily statistics
Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk
