National Fire News

The latest National Hurricane Center forecast has Helene rapidly intensifying to a catastrophic hurricane before making landfall along the coast of the Florida Big Bend this evening. Helene's wind field is predicted to become very large. As a result, impacts from storm surge, wind, and rainfall will extend well away from the center, particularly on the east side. A nearly stationary upper low in the vicinity of Memphis, Tennessee is forecast to sag southward through Thursday night before Helene’s remnant circulation wraps north then westward into the large-scale low. Ahead of the parent low, and prior to the arrival of Helene’s heavy rainfall, widespread showers and thunderstorms will bring heavy rain to much of eastern Alabama, Georgia, and central/southern Appalachians to the Carolina Piedmont. Drier air will dominate the northern Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes, while showers linger across portions of New England. Across the West, temperatures closer to normal are expected behind Wednesday’s front in the Northwest and northern portions of the Intermountain Region. The front will continue to weaken as it crosses the northern Rockies early in the day and pushes eastward during the afternoon. Breezy/dry westerly winds are expected with this front across much of Montana and Wyoming, especially east of the Divide, with breezy/dry winds across the Dakotas into western Minnesota. Significant fire potential will remain moderate in much of Wyoming into southeast Montana and the western Dakotas, while increasing over the eastern Dakotas into western Minnesota. Dry and continued unseasonably warm/hot conditions for most of California, southern Great Basin, the Southwest and Colorado Rockies.