Across the lower 48 states, the 2026 wildfire season is effectively over. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has maintained National Preparedness Level 1—the lowest on the five-tier scale—since October 14, and the latest situation report lists just four large fires burning nationwide, with 342 personnel assigned. That’s a dramatic contrast to the summer peak, when hundreds of fires were burning simultaneously and thousands of firefighters were deployed across the West.

Season Totals Paint a Historic Picture

As of November 6, 2026, NIFC recorded 68,179 fires burning 9,471,008 acres nationwide for the year—approximately 131 percent of the 10-year average for fires and 146 percent of the 10-year average for acreage. Those figures place 2026 among the most significant fire years in the modern record, driven in large part by extreme conditions across Oregon, the Northern Rockies, and portions of the Southwest during the summer months.

November Outlook: Normal Nationally, With Regional Caveats

NIFC’s November 2 monthly outlook carries normal significant fire potential across the contiguous United States for November and December—with the notable exception of above-normal potential in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where drought conditions persist.

Regionally, analysts flagged several areas of continued concern despite the national “normal” designation:

  • Mid-South and Appalachians: The deepest drought in the country, with extreme-to-exceptional drought expanding in Mississippi and along the Virginia-North Carolina border. The Appalachians entered November after more than three weeks without meaningful rain and with leaf drop underway—conditions that can produce fast-moving surface fires.
  • Northern California: Remains at “elevated” fire potential as low-elevation grass waits on steady autumn rains.
  • Northeast/New England: An unusual entrant on the concern list—moderate drought spread across northern New Hampshire and Vermont, with extreme drought appearing in northern Maine.
  • Pacific Northwest: Below normal and improving, with a series of atmospheric rivers delivering significant moisture.

An Unusual East Coast Fire

Even as the West quiets down, a noteworthy fire has emerged in an unexpected location. A fire in the Wild River valley of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, burning about a mile from the Maine border, has grown to 856 acres—the largest fire the White Mountain National Forest has seen since its establishment. The fire is burning outside any national risk zone, underscoring that fire weather anomalies can occur anywhere during drought conditions.

Resources Standing Down

With fire activity winding down, interagency crews, air tankers, and incident management teams are transitioning back to their home units. The Union Interagency Hotshot Crew, based in eastern Oregon, completed a 112-day season and stood down on October 16. NIFC is currently operating on a reduced winter schedule—Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM MST.