83 new fires were reported nationwide since yesterday, including 9 new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 97 large fires across the country. There are 30,636 personnel assigned to incidents nationwide, including 661 crews, 1,856 engines, and 204 helicopters. 26 complex incident management teams and one national incident management organization are committed.
Lots of fire activity means lots of smoke. The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map is a resource for hourly updates, outlooks, health recommendations, and more. Air quality information related to specific fires can also be found on InciWeb: the Incident Information System.
Weather
Elevated to locally critical conditions persist across the northern half of the West today. Hot, unstable conditions with 3-15% RH and poor overnight recovery will lead to extended burn periods. Breezy westerly winds will gust between 25 and 40 mph across much of the Northwest; strongest in the Cascade Gaps and along the northern Sierra Front. While cooler air is filtering west of the Cascades and lowering temperatures slightly in the Upper Columbia Basin, maximum temperatures will still exceed 100°F in lower elevations across California, the Great Basin, the central Rockies, the central and southern Plains, and the Southwest. Wet thunderstorm coverage remains well below average in the Southwest, with activity focused along the Mogollon Rim and southeast Arizona. However, there is concern for isolated dry lightning this afternoon extending into the central Sierra, southern Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona, and parts of central and northern New Mexico. Elsewhere, the eastern U.S. will see near-normal temperatures, while increased cloud cover and scattered thunderstorms bring slightly below-normal temperatures to the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast. Warm, dry conditions continue in eastern Alaska, maintaining elevated potential in the Upper Tanana Valley. Additionally, critically dry fuels combined with hot, dry, and breezy conditions will result in high-risk significant fire potential in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
