Over 15 Million in Central US Face Fire Weather Alerts Through Friday Amid High Winds and Low Humidity

More than 15 million people across the central United States are under fire weather alerts through Friday, April 24, 2026, as a combination of heat, dry air and strong winds fuel risks of extreme wildfire behavior, forecasters said. 8 million people face critical fire weather conditions on Thursday, April 23, 2026, according to the National Weather Service.

The critical risk area covers parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas on Thursday, April 23, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center stated.

Broader sections of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, as well as parts of Arizona, South Dakota and Wyoming, are seeing elevated fire weather conditions. Areas marked in red are facing critical fire weather conditions on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Areas marked in orange face elevated fire weather conditions.

Criteria for critical fire weather conditions includes high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds. A mixture of high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds generally triggers red flag warnings. The National Weather Service issues red flag warnings or less urgent fire weather watches when the combination of dry fuels and weather conditions support extreme fire danger.

Alerts currently active in the middle of the country include red flag warnings, which means critical fire weather conditions are currently occurring or expected to occur shortly, according to the National Weather Service. Fire weather watches are issued when critical fire weather conditions are farther ahead in the forecast, the National Weather Service stated.

Several metropolitan areas including Albuquerque, Denver, El Paso, Amarillo in Texas, and Pierre in South Dakota are located inside the risk area.

A storm system is moving into central states on Thursday, April 23, 2026, bringing wind gusts of up to 50 or 60 mph to the Southern Plains, said CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. Relative humidity values in the region will sink down to single-digit values on Thursday, April 23, 2026, forecasters said.

U.S. on Thursday, April 23, 2026, are forecast to be between 15 and 25 degrees above average for this time of year, forecasters stated. More than 100 wildfires are burning in Florida and Georgia, destroying homes, prompting burn bans and forcing hundreds of evacuations.

U.S. reached record heights, according to weather data. CBS News reported that wildfire risks surfaced in central states as these blazes continue in the Southeast.