Wildfire activity in the western portion of the U.S. is expanding with more than five dozen wildfires now reported nationwide.
Some of the largest are in Oregon. Four major wildfires have scorched more than 100,000 acres.
According to USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey the outbreak this July is outside of the ordinary.
“We have seen our U.S. wildfire acreage explode about 3.5 million acres by the middle part of July. That puts us ahead of our mid-July average of 3.1 million acres. So, this is really the first time this year we’ve seen our U.S. wildfire acreage exceed the 10-year average.”
He says that at this point, air quality is now a major concern. A strong ridge of high pressure over the west and High Plains could recirculate smoke long-term.
