Yesterday, 142 new fires were reported nationwide, including 12 new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 104 uncontained large fires. The National Preparedness Level remains at 5, with nearly 30,000 personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
The Northwest remains the nation's most active fire area, with 45 uncontained large fires. Fires including Wrights Spring, Little Giant, Big Grass and Sinlahekin continue to exhibit active or extreme fire behavior, with evacuations and closures in effect and homes, communities and critical infrastructure threatened.
Two hundred forty soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division based out of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) are deployed in support of wildland fire operations on the Modrite Fire. An Incident Management Organization (IMO) is assigned to support the military contingent.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 46,305 wildfires that have burned more than 6.4 million acres, 126% and 156% of the 10-year averages, respectively.
Weather
Continued dry and breezy with locally elevated risks in northeast California, southern Idaho and Wyoming. Mixed wet/dry thunderstorms will be isolated to scattered, similar to Monday, from the eastern Sierra to the West Slope but becoming wetter farther east. Arizona will see an uptick in wet thunderstorms, while low-end scattered mixed wet/dry thunderstorms persist in New Mexico. Temperatures will be near normal for both states, and across the southern Great Basin and West Slope. Above-normal temperatures continue in California, though the recent widespread, extreme heat is slowly ending. Widespread elevated conditions will develop in the central and southern Plains due to breezy southerly winds (gusts near 30 mph), dry conditions, and extreme heat. Maximum temperatures will reach 105°F–110°F from Nebraska to north Texas, with isolated mixed wet/dry thunderstorms expected across the High Plains. The Southeast will see temperatures rise above normal as the ridge aloft strengthens, while strong drying and very isolated thunderstorms continue along the Gulf Coast and Florida. Alaska’s eastern Interior remains warm with isolated thunderstorm activity. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will have a marked increase in shower activity, likely the most active day of the week.
