Wildfire Aware Situation Report for WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 20, 2023, for the United States.
The United States is at National Preparedness Level 3.
There are a total of 36 UNCONTAINED LARGE FIRES currently.
Nationally, 35 fires are being managed under a strategy other than full suppression.
There are 2 new large fires in Oregon and Arizona.
Mixon (AZ): Northern District, Arizona DOF. Nineteen miles north of Ash Fork, AZ. Brush and short grass. Minimal fire behavior with backing and smoldering. Last narrative report unless significant activity occurs.
Morgan (OR): Fremont-Winema NF, USFS. IMT 2 (NW Team 7) mobilizing. Nineteen miles east of Bly, OR. Timber and brush. Extreme fire behavior with running, spotting, and torching. Structures threatened.
2 large fires were contained in Oregon and Montana.
Trout Creek (OR)
Dry Creek (MT)
Wildfire Aware Situation Report: Weather Discussion
Provided by the National Interagency Fire Center
A strong upper low will continue to slide south in the Pacific Northwest, further lowering temperatures across the northwestern US. Scattered precipitation is expected across the Northwest, mostly along and east of the Cascades, Idaho, Montana, northwest Wyoming, and northeast Nevada. Snow will likely be above 7,000 feet, and snow levels could drop below 6,000 feet in some areas. Gusty north-northeast winds of 15-40 mph will develop west of the Cascades into northern California and while temperatures will be below normal, drier air aloft will lower relative humidity to 25-50% in areas overnight, especially at mid and upper slopes in southwest Oregon and northwest California. Dry and breezy conditions will develop across portions of the Great Basin and spread into the Desert Southwest and West Slope ahead of the upper-level trough and cold front. Isolated thunderstorms are likely in portions of the northern Rockies and from the central Sierra extending northeast into western Wyoming, with mostly isolated thunderstorms from southeast Arizona into southwest Texas. Another round of thunderstorms is expected on the southern Plains extending into the Lower Missouri Valley, with isolated to scattered thunderstorms across portions of the central and northern Plains into the Upper Midwest. Thunderstorms are likely from the central Gulf Coast to the Southeast Coast, including across Florida, with low relative humidity continuing in portions of the Southeast and Texas.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for the Northern Sacramento Valley in California. The Storm Prediction Center has identified another area of elevated fire weather in Northern California.
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Link to the National Incident Management Situation Report.
Link to the National 7-Day Significant Fire Potential.
