logo
Oregon wildfire burns almost 100K acres, approaching rare megafire status

Oregon wildfire burns almost 100K acres, approaching rare megafire status

Yahoo6 days ago
The country's largest wildfire this year has burned over 95,740 acres, fire officials in central Oregon said Sunday, as ground crews made progress to partially contain a blaze that could still intensify to become a so-called megafire.
The size of the Cram Fire was adjusted slightly downward from Saturday after "more accurate mapping" was completed, officials said. They added that the massive blaze — which has drawn more than 900 fire personnel, destroyed a handful of homes and prompted evacuations in two counties — was 49% contained after crews struggled to keep back the flames last week.
"Yesterday was another favorable day with us with the weather, and so a lot of good work was done," Scott Stutzman, operations section chief of the Oregon State Fire Marshal, said Sunday in a Facebook video. "We'll have those crews out there continuing to maintain a presence mopping up, and also assisting our wildland partners on the perimeter."
Cooler temperatures and higher humidity over the weekend are expected to continue early this week, potentially aiding firefighting efforts, but the sheer size of the fire has been staggering: If it grows to at least 100,000 acres, it would be classified as a megafire, becoming the first one in the U.S. in 2025, said Stanton Florea, a spokesman with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, which coordinates the country's wildland firefighting operations.
Oregon saw six wildfires reach megafire status last year, federal data shows.
The phenomenon is considered rare, but it has grown in frequency as wildfires in general become more widespread and intense.
Megafires "are more common now," Florea said. "We're having longer fire seasons — what we're calling, the 'fire year.' And more intense fires that are lasting longer."
So far this year, there have been 40,934 wildfires, the highest year-to-date total in at least a decade, according to National Interagency Fire Center data.
But of the 1.6 million wildfires that have occurred since 2000, just 254 exceeded 100,000 acres burned, and only 16 were at least 500,000 acres, a Congressional Research Service report said in 2023.
"A small fraction of wildfires become catastrophic, and a small percentage of fires accounts for the vast majority of acres burned," the service said. "For example, about 1% of wildfires become conflagrations — raging, destructive fires — but predicting which fires will 'blow up' into conflagrations is challenging and depends on a multitude of factors, such as weather and geography."
The higher chance of extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged drought and strong winds, is being fueled by human-caused global warming, recent reports indicate. That means wildfires may not only ignite suddenly, but also strengthen in magnitude at a furious pace.
The Cram Fire, which led to evacuations in parts of Jefferson and Wasco counties, began a week ago, exploding amid extremely hot, dry and windy conditions in the West. The cause remains under investigation.
Florea said the Pacific Northwest is the highest-priority area in the country at the moment, with the country's wildland firefighting resources being directed there, including to help battle at least nine large fires burning in Oregon.
Such heavy demand means officials must prioritize how resources are used. An increase in the number of wildfires strains the system and the fatigued crews who work around-the-clock shifts, Florea added.
While 88 engines and eight helicopters continue to be deployed to prevent the Cram Fire from spreading, the Oregon State Fire Marshal said Sunday it would begin modifying its response as containment improves.
At least four homes and two other structures have been destroyed so far. The fire is no longer threatening residences to the same degree, officials said.
Kyle Butler, whose home in rural Jefferson County was nearly burned in the blaze, said one neighbor fled the flames with her life, but returned to find her home severely damaged.
"Everything's gone," Butler told NBC affiliate KGW in Portland. "Her house is pretty much in shambles."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Possibly dangerous heat hitting South Florida with triple digit "feels-like" temperatures
Possibly dangerous heat hitting South Florida with triple digit "feels-like" temperatures

CBS News

time28 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Possibly dangerous heat hitting South Florida with triple digit "feels-like" temperatures

The NEXT Weather Team is tracking several days of hot, humid weather with triple digit "feels like" temperatures. A high pressure, heat dome, centered over the southeastern United States will pump hot, dry air over Florida through the end of the week. This will limit any precipitation until Thursday or Friday. The heat index temperatures across most of Broward county will feel-like the low triple digits with many cities feeling like 102-103 degrees. Communities across Broward county will feel a degree or two cooler but will still surpass the triple digits. The NEXT Weather Seven Day forecast shows hot, humid and sunny weather stretching through next weekend.

Flood watch in effect for Chicago area through evening
Flood watch in effect for Chicago area through evening

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

Flood watch in effect for Chicago area through evening

A flood watch is in effect as a threat of severe storms is expected by the afternoon for the Chicago area. Torrential downpours could bring rain rates of one to two inches per hour. Some cells may follow one another, increasing a localized flash flood threat. Grounds are already saturated from Friday's storm, and the storms expected on Saturday will be moisture-loaded downpours, so flooding is a hazard. Damaging winds of up to 60 mph are possible with the strongest storms. Thunderstorms will last through the evening, and then on Sunday, hot temperatures will return, with the heat index between 100 and 105 degrees.

No, Hurricane Activity Is Not Behind Schedule Right Now
No, Hurricane Activity Is Not Behind Schedule Right Now

Forbes

timean hour ago

  • Forbes

No, Hurricane Activity Is Not Behind Schedule Right Now

This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Tropical ... More Storm Chantal as it moves from South Carolina into central North Carolina on Sunday, July 6, 2025. (NOAA via AP) As the Atlantic hurricane season continues, there are questions arising about whether activity is behind schedule. My answer is, 'Not really,' but it depends on how you look at it. As the Atlantic basin shows signs of life in coming weeks, here's a breakdown of what we typically expect as we enter August, and why there may be a perception of a 'slow' start. I was prompted to write these thoughts after seeing assertions that the Atlantic hurricane season is off to a slow start. One article pointed to only one storm, Chantal, making landfall in the continental U.S. and low Accumulated Cyclone Energy. ACE is a jargony term that is meaningless to most of you reading this, but it grabs the attention of many colleagues in the weather community. A NOAA website defined ACE as, 'A wind energy index, defined as the sum of the squares of the estimated 6-hourly maximum sustained wind speed (knots) for all named systems while they are at least tropical storm strength.' A water rescue unit with the Durham Fire Department knocks on doors at Rippling Streams Townhomes in ... More the Old Farm neighborhood along the Eno River in Durham on Monday morning, July 7, 2025, after flash flooding caused by Tropical Storm Chantal. (Travis Long/The News & Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) At this point in the season, ACE is typically near 9, according to a blog post by meteorologist Brylee Brown, but it currently sits at just over 1 thanks to short-lived Tropical Storms Andrea, Barry and Chantal. As a reference point, Brown pointed out that ACE was close to 250 in the hyperactive 2005 season that produced Hurricane Katrina almost twenty years ago and exhausted the name list. Candidly, this discussion gets to one of my pet peeves. Sure, ACE is low and only one storm has made landfall on U.S. soil, but those storms had significant impact. The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry were in the 'moisture mix' that caused catastrophic flooding in Texas Hill Country, and Tropical Storm Chantal produced dangerous flooding in parts of North Carolina, including Durham and Chapel Hill. I continue to argue that there is too much of fixation with indices and scale categories rather than impact. Yes, they are useful for some aspects of risk communication but often overlook the full scope of impacts. KERRVILLE, TEXAS - JULY 04: Trees emerge from flood waters along the Guadalupe River on July 4, 2025 ... More in Kerrville, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. (Photo by) From a meteorological perspective, the Atlantic basin has experienced weeks of wind shear, plumes of Saharan dust, and unfavorable temperatures in the upper part of the atmosphere. Hurricane formation is impeded by such conditions, however, there are signs that conditions will become more favorable in the coming weeks. In fact, the latest European model ensemble 'teases' something to watch in the coming week. I will come back to that in a moment. Atlantic hurricane and tropical storm activity from 1944 to 2020. I will respectfully push back on narratives that we are 'off to a slow start.' The most active part of the Atlantic season is the period spanning August to October with September representing the climatological peak. As noted, by some metrics, this may be the 'slowest' start since 2009. However, here is a reality check. The third named storm of the year typically forms on August 3. This year, the third named storm, Chantal, formed in early July. The first hurricane does not typically form until August 11, according to NOAA data. The first major hurricane (category 3 or higher) does not develop, on average, until September 1. Typical progress of named storm and hurricane formation during the Atlantic hurricane season. As we approach the first week of August, things are, well, doing what we expect them to do. Activity, particularly in the main development region of the Atlantic Ocean, starts to pick up. Hurricane expert Michael Lowry wrote in his Substack blog, 'One feature most models are now picking up on is a fast-moving tropical wave set to emerge over the eastern Atlantic early next week.' He also indicated that some the newer AI models like Google's DeepMindAI and the European AI ensembles are bullish on more activity around the week of August 3. The next named storm will be 'Dexter.' Typical August activity in the Atlantic basin. The peak of Atlantic hurricane season activity has not changed. What has changed is that in recent decades we have become more conditioned to expect activity before August 1. With such perspectives, it is understandable that an early 2025 season with 3 named storms by August is considered a 'slow start.' Experts are still calling for average or slightly above-average season with around 8 hurricanes. We are entering the 'find out' part of the year so prepare accordingly. Typical September activity in the Atlantic basin.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store