Fire activity remains steady as we move further into spring, signaling the start of what is already shaping up to be an active fire year. The national preparedness level is 2, with 69 new fires reported yesterday and 20 uncontained large fires currently burning nationwide. Across all incidents, nearly 2,400 personnel and two Complex Incident Management Teams are supporting wildfire response efforts.
So far this year, 24,222 fires have burned 1,847,151 acres, already surpassing the 10-year average in acres burned for this time of year. The Southern Area, now at Preparedness Level 4, continues to see the most significant activity, with ongoing incidents in Georgia and Florida where firefighters are working to protect communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. In the Southwest, fires like the Hummingbird Fire in New Mexico highlight how quickly conditions can shift with wind and dry fuels.
Today marks the start of Wildfire Awareness Month, a time focused on prevention, preparedness, and protecting what matters, together. As seasonal conditions become warmer and drier in many parts of the country, now is the time to take action. Creating defensible space, preparing your home and family, and staying informed all play a critical role in reducing wildfire risk.
Tomorrow, May 2, is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers valuable resources to help individuals and communities get ready for wildfire. Take action today to prepare for the months ahead: https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa
The 2026 National Fire Year Themes remind us that safety comes first, and that preventing human-caused fires is something we all share. Firefighters and support personnel are working together across agencies to respond quickly and keep fires small, but they cannot do it alone.
Weather
Warm and dry conditions will continue west of the Rockies, with two main areas of focus weather wise throughout the day. Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms will begin across eastern New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana in the morning along the stalled cold front, with scattered thunderstorms developing for a few hours in the afternoon across the San Juans of Colorado and western New Mexico. The front will begin to make progress eastward throughout the day, bringing increased cloud cover, gusty winds, and heavy rain to the southern Gulf states. Conditions remain hot, dry and breezy across central and parts of southern Florida to the south of this cold front. Meanwhile, the Mid Atlantic and Northeast will receive rain and thunderstorms throughout the day as a weaker weather system moves through, bringing some additional light rain behind the front with below normal temperatures. High pressure over the Pacific Northwest shifts slightly eastward into the Northern Rockies, with a weather system approaching the West Coast late in the day developing some isolated showers and thunderstorms across the Cascades. Below normal temperatures and an active pattern continue across Alaska. A moist trade wind pattern is expected across Hawai‘i with scattered to numerous windward showers and isolated leeward showers.
Daily statistics
Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk
