Fire Season 2026

Another severe wildfire season is forecast for the Western U.S. due to record-breaking heat and an abysmal snowpack, but some states and utilities are trying to get ahead of that threat using AI.

Meteorologists say the drought in Arizona will likely continue to worsen with warm, dry conditions in store and after the Flagstaff area received less than a third of its seasonal snowfall.

Crews from the Coconino National Forest are trying to contain and extinguish a 115-acre wildfire burning near the Mogollon Rim.

For the first time, the Trump administration is considering giving wildland firefighters the same hazard pay for prescribed burns that they receive while working to suppress wildfires.

A nurse who works with patients with high-risk newborns says she wishes the state’s largest utility company would’ve given more notice before the outage so families could charge their medical equipment.

Arizona Public Service temporarily shut off power for parts of the Flagstaff area and Coconino County Wednesday due to extreme fire risk.

Arizona Public Service Co. says it could temporarily shut off power in some high-risk communities Wednesday in the Flagstaff area because of heightened wildfire danger.

Hydrologists working high in the Rocky Mountains have measured what they say is Colorado’s driest winter of snow moisture on record.

Low snowfall this winter, paired with unprecedented June-like heat in March, has local forest managers closely monitoring fire conditions across northern Arizona.

Arizona fire officials warn that drought and heat could drive an early, active wildfire season. High fire activity is expected to move north across the Mogollon Rim by May, then into higher elevations.