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October 20, 2022 - Two new large fires were reported, one in Texas and one in Tennessee. Seventy-one large fires have burned 657,999 acres in seven states. One Type 1 
incident management team (IMT) and five Type 2 IMTs are supporting large fires in the Northwest and Northern California areas.
Critical weather conditions are likely today in parts of Montana, Wyoming and the High Plains. Visit the Predictive Services website for more information about current weather conditions and listen to the weekly fuels and fire danger podcast.
Each year, our public lands are used to sight in rifles for hunting season. Target practice is fun but has the potential to cause a devastating wildfire. If you are planning to shoot on public lands, please take these precautions: check weather conditions before you go, do not shoot into rocks or metal objects, place targets in areas free of vegetation, do not use tracer rounds or exploding targets, and bring water, a shovel and a fire extinguisher. Wildfires affect everyone and can take a generation or longer for the rangelands to recover.
Elevated to critical westerly sustained winds of 15-35 mph with gusts 30-50 mph amid minimum relative humidity of 10-25% will develop across much of central and eastern Montana and Wyoming. The strongest winds are likely on the east slopes of the Rockies in central Montana. Elevated westerly winds of 10-20 mph with gusts 20-35 mph are likely amid relative humidity of 15-25% across portions of the Mid- Mississippi and Ohio Valleys as well. Additionally, widespread critically low relative humidity will continue from the Lower Mississippi Valley through the Southeast and into the Mid-Atlantic. Above normal temperatures and minimum relative humidity of 8-25% will remain in much of the Inland Northwest, Great Basin, northern and eastern California, and northern Rockies, but relative humidity will increase west of the Washington and northern Oregon Cascades as onshore flow strengthens. Lingering lake-effect showers will continue in the eastern Great Lakes.
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
2 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Number of active large fires Total does not include individual fires within complexes. |
71 | |
| Acres from active fires | 657,999 | |
| Fires contained | 2 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2022 (1/1/22-10/20/22) | Fires: 56,710 | Acres: 7,022,627 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-10/20/21) | Fires: 48,005 | Acres: 6,527,040 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-10/20/20) | Fires: 46,466 | Acres: 8,416,452 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-10/20/19) | Fires: 43,746 | Acres: 4,467,200 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-10/20/18) | Fires: 50,181 | Acres: 8,159,015 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-10/20/17) | Fires: 51,934 | Acres: 8,818,600 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-10/20/16) | Fires: 49,832 | Acres: 4,989,330 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-10/20/15) | Fires: 52,366 | Acres: 9,365,289 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-10/20/14) | Fires: 42,521 | Acres: 3,287,961 |
| 2013 (1/1/13-10/20/13) | Fires: 40,165 | Acres: 4,146,461 |
| 2012 (1/1/12-10/20/12) | Fires: 50,668 | Acres: 8,962,538 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2012-2021 | Fires: 47,496 | Acres: 6,711,042 |
Source: NIFC
