August 14th, 2025
There are currently 38 large fires nationwide across eight geographic areas. 16,530 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents, including 327 crews, 923 engines, and 122 helicopters. In 2025 so far, 43,509 wildfires have been reported, for a total acreage of 3,655,341. Of this acreage, 1,676,108 acres were burned by human-caused fires.
By making choices that prevent unwanted ignitions, you reduce the workload on firefighters and help ensure that they will be available to fight the most serious fires. Whether you’re towing a trailer, enjoying a campfire, using equipment, or driving in rural areas, take steps to eliminate sparks. Park on bare soil or pavement, drown and stir campfires until they are cool to the touch, and secure chains before hitting the road. Small actions taken now can prevent big consequences later.
Meanwhile, new lightning-caused fires can be expected, with dry lightning activity predicted to peak today, especially over the Great Basin and Western Colorado. Red flag warnings are in place in the Northwest and northern Great Basin.
Predictive Services at the National Interagency Coordination Center is tracking three active fuels and fire behavior advisories covering portions of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. These advisories highlight conditions that can contribute to rapid fire growth. If you live in or are traveling through these areas, take time to understand the risks and adjust your activities accordingly to help prevent new starts.
To bolster suppression efforts, four U.S. military C-130 aircraft outfitted with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) are currently on assignment. Two are operating from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and two from Mesa, Arizona, adding critical airtanker support when aviation resources are at capacity. The 2025 National Fire Year Themes remind us that “it takes all of us” to keep firefighters and the public safe, protect communities, reduce smoke impacts, and enjoy public lands responsibly. Every choice matters, because preventing the next ignition might be as simple as the decision you make today.
Weather
Temperatures across much of the West lower a little to around normal to slightly above normal as an upper trough establishes over the West. Winds ease across the Pacific Northwest but still remain breezy, with generally westerly winds of 10-20 mph and gusts of 25-35 mph amid minimum RH of 10-20% away from the coast focused on the east slopes of the Cascades into the Columbia Basin, and modest overnight recovery. Across the Great Basin and into the Central Rockies, winds remain breezy, especially across the eastern Basin and into the Rockies, with west to southwesterly winds 10-20 mph with gusts of 20-45 mph amid RH of 7-15% and poor overnight recovery – widespread elevated conditions are expected for these parts. For most of California away from the coast, temperatures lower a little, however low RH continues with RH of 7-20% and poor overnight recovery. Winds will be mostly light except in areas favored by terrain. Monsoon moisture lies over much of Arizona and into New Mexico and the central Rockies, with some upper moisture moving into the Great Basin area. This will maintain a chance of isolated mixed wet/dry thunderstorms with gusty outflows across the Southwest, as well as parts of the Great Basin and around the Central Rockies, with lightning more likely over these parts than during previous days - isolated dry thunderstorms and new ignitions remain possible on the western/northern fringe of the thunderstorms. Elsewhere, breezy/dry southerly winds are expected across the southern Plains. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across much of the east, south, and Great Plains. back...
By making choices that prevent unwanted ignitions, you reduce the workload on firefighters and help ensure that they will be available to fight the most serious fires. Whether you’re towing a trailer, enjoying a campfire, using equipment, or driving in rural areas, take steps to eliminate sparks. Park on bare soil or pavement, drown and stir campfires until they are cool to the touch, and secure chains before hitting the road. Small actions taken now can prevent big consequences later.
Meanwhile, new lightning-caused fires can be expected, with dry lightning activity predicted to peak today, especially over the Great Basin and Western Colorado. Red flag warnings are in place in the Northwest and northern Great Basin.
Predictive Services at the National Interagency Coordination Center is tracking three active fuels and fire behavior advisories covering portions of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. These advisories highlight conditions that can contribute to rapid fire growth. If you live in or are traveling through these areas, take time to understand the risks and adjust your activities accordingly to help prevent new starts.
To bolster suppression efforts, four U.S. military C-130 aircraft outfitted with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) are currently on assignment. Two are operating from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and two from Mesa, Arizona, adding critical airtanker support when aviation resources are at capacity. The 2025 National Fire Year Themes remind us that “it takes all of us” to keep firefighters and the public safe, protect communities, reduce smoke impacts, and enjoy public lands responsibly. Every choice matters, because preventing the next ignition might be as simple as the decision you make today.
Weather
Temperatures across much of the West lower a little to around normal to slightly above normal as an upper trough establishes over the West. Winds ease across the Pacific Northwest but still remain breezy, with generally westerly winds of 10-20 mph and gusts of 25-35 mph amid minimum RH of 10-20% away from the coast focused on the east slopes of the Cascades into the Columbia Basin, and modest overnight recovery. Across the Great Basin and into the Central Rockies, winds remain breezy, especially across the eastern Basin and into the Rockies, with west to southwesterly winds 10-20 mph with gusts of 20-45 mph amid RH of 7-15% and poor overnight recovery – widespread elevated conditions are expected for these parts. For most of California away from the coast, temperatures lower a little, however low RH continues with RH of 7-20% and poor overnight recovery. Winds will be mostly light except in areas favored by terrain. Monsoon moisture lies over much of Arizona and into New Mexico and the central Rockies, with some upper moisture moving into the Great Basin area. This will maintain a chance of isolated mixed wet/dry thunderstorms with gusty outflows across the Southwest, as well as parts of the Great Basin and around the Central Rockies, with lightning more likely over these parts than during previous days - isolated dry thunderstorms and new ignitions remain possible on the western/northern fringe of the thunderstorms. Elsewhere, breezy/dry southerly winds are expected across the southern Plains. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across much of the east, south, and Great Plains. back...
