Firefighters are working to suppress and contain 68 large fires across the country. 17,482 firefighters and support personnel are engaged in nationwide fire activity, including 140 crews, 1,024 engines, and 140 helicopters.
17 new large incidents were reported in the Northwest Geographic Area following a prolonged period of lightning, making it the most active geographic area in the country. The fires in Northern Minnesota remain active, with some continuing to report extreme fire behavior. The Little Knife Fire has spread across the Canadian border into the United States.
So far this year, 40,058 fires have burned more than 3.7 million acres across the United States.
Two MAFFS C-130 airtankers and support personnel from the 302nd Airlift Wing (CO Air National Guard) have been deployed to Klamath Falls, OR. One MAFFS C-130 airtanker and support personnel from the 153rd Airlift Wing (WY Air National Guard) has been deployed to San Bernardino, CA. One MAFFS C-130 airtanker and support personnel from the 146th Airlift Wing (CA Air National Guard) has been deployed to Santa Maria, CA to support wildland fire operations nationally.
Predictive Services has issued a Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory for the Pacific Northwest, where record-low winter snowpack and ongoing drought have caused live and dead fuels to cure much earlier than normal. Current conditions are more typical of mid-August, with recent lightning producing efficient ignitions and new fires exhibiting rapid growth. Fire managers expect longer burn periods, increased resistance to control and a heightened potential for large fire development across the region.
Our greatest shared resource is the air that we breathe. As many people on in the northeast are currently experiencing, smoke can even affect communities hundreds of miles away from active wildfires. Fire.airnow.gov is an excellent resource for monitoring air quality in your area and understanding where smoke impacts may be coming from. Limit your exposure to poor air quality by monitoring which times of day are worst and avoiding strenuous activity and limiting outdoor time during those windows.
Weather
Dry conditions will return to the West Coast on Friday as high pressure shifts east, confining monsoonal moisture to the eastern Great Basin, Southwest, and Colorado. Those areas will see scattered afternoon showers and a mix of wet and dry thunderstorms with gusty outflow winds. California and much of the Pacific Northwest will remain hot and dry, while a dry air mass and gusty westerly winds (25–35 mph) spread across the Pacific Northwest and northern California behind an upper-level trough. East of the ridge, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across the Upper Mississippi Valley and Upper Great Lakes, with localized heavy rainfall possible along a cold front. Gusty northwesterly winds will develop behind the front. Wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Canada will continue affecting the Great Lakes and Northeast, reducing temperatures and air quality. Showers are also expected across the Mid-Atlantic and parts of Florida, while Texas begins to dry out except for hot, dry conditions across Deep South Texas.
