Yesterday, 140 new fires were reported nationwide, including seven new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 87 large fires, with 21,268 firefighters and support personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 52,466 wildfires that have burned more than 8.2 million acres across the United States, 126% of the 10-year average for fires and 164% for acres burned. There are fuels and fire behavior advisories in place for North Central Texas, Southwest Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest.
As of today, 74 drone incursions have been reported near wildfires this year. The vast majority of these have occurred in Washington (45), followed by California (nine). Drones in the sky present a critical danger to aircraft with people inside; even a very small drone has the potential to damage the tail rotor on a helicopter or incapacitate an engine and cause a fatal accident. Thus, when an unknown drone is spotted near a wildfire, aerial operations are grounded until the skies are clear. That pause may only last a few minutes, but in wildfire response, every minute matters. Protect firefighter safety, ensure they’re able to do their jobs, and avoid a potential costly fine: Know before you fly, and if you're anywhere near wildfire activity, do not fly at all.
Weather
Hot temperatures will continue across the Plains today with highs near 100°F amid minimum RH of 15-25% and locally breezy south winds gusting to 20-25 mph. Tropical Storm Edouard will make landfall near the mouth of the Sabine River this evening bringing locally heavy rain to southeast Texas and far southwest Louisiana along with gusty winds. Scattered to widespread thunderstorms will also develop across much of Florida while a cold front moves through the Lower Great Lakes and Northeast with showers and thunderstorms. In the West, breezy and dry southwest winds will develop in much of western and southern Nevada into far northeast California and southeast Oregon creating elevated conditions as minimum relative humidity falls to 7-15%. Farther east, scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop in far northeast Oregon to central Idaho and southwest Montana then southward into the central Rockies, while isolated thunderstorms develop in the Southwest. Much cooler temperatures are expected west of the Cascades and Sierra today due to strong onshore flow.
