The National Weather Service office in Grand Junction issued a string of flash flood warnings this week for western Colorado burn scars, where burned slopes can turn heavy rain into fast-moving debris flows. Three warnings covered the Lee burn scar in Rio Blanco County: from 8:25 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. MDT on Sept. 13, from 2:26 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT on Sept. 14, and from 12:51 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. MDT on Sept. 16. Another covered the Ferris burn scar in northwestern Dolores County from 5:42 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. MDT on Sept. 14. All of those warnings have expired, as has a flood watch for southwest Colorado, including the Ferris burn scar, that ran through the evening of Sept. 17.

The warnings came as the national fire tally kept climbing. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) counted 56,042 wildfires and 8,514,803 acres burned from Jan. 1 through Sept. 16, about 26 percent more fires and 47 percent more acreage than the 2016 to 2025 average for the same period. That acreage is the highest for this point in the year of any season in NIFC's comparison table, which begins in 2016, narrowly ahead of 2017.

For households, a fire's danger does not end at containment. Neighborhoods, roads and campgrounds below burned hillsides face a second hazard whenever storms stall overhead, while new fires are igniting across the Southern Plains.

Southern Plains Become the Top Fire Priority

NIFC reported 60 new fires nationwide on Sept. 15, including nine new large incidents, with 61 uncontained large fires and more than 11,500 personnel assigned. The National Preparedness Level has stood at 3 on a five-point scale since Sept. 9, down from Level 5, the highest, in mid-August. NIFC named the Southern Area the highest-priority region, with nine new large incidents and 15 uncontained large fires. Several were showing extreme fire behavior, with structures threatened and evacuations in effect.

New Texas incidents on NIFC's latest list include the Dry River Fire, about six miles southwest of Sonora, at 3,500 acres and 0 percent contained, and the Hydra Fire, about six miles south of Meridian, at 1,000 acres and 10 percent contained. In Oklahoma, the new Calvary Creek Fire east of Rocky stood at 815 acres and 5 percent contained. NIFC forecast highs near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) across the southern Plains, with southerly winds of 12 to 20 miles per hour (19 to 32 kilometers per hour) and minimum humidity of 15 to 25 percent, focused over central Texas.

Nature World News previously reported on red flag warnings in Wyoming and Northern California, when NIFC's report listed 54,407 fires and 8,435,367 acres year to date. Since then, the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto County, which the Texas A&M Forest Service determined was human-caused, has moved from 88 percent to 93 percent containment at 90,400 acres, according to NIFC.

Record Summer Heat Dried Out Fuels

NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information reported that meteorological summer 2026 was the warmest on record for the contiguous United States, averaging 74.4 degrees Fahrenheit, 3.0 degrees above the 20th-century average and 0.4 degrees above the previous records set in 1936 and 2021. Texas and Oklahoma received less than 30 percent of their average August rainfall, and drought covered 59.1 percent of the Lower 48 on Sept. 1, an increase of about 10.5 percentage points from early August.

The link to fire needs care. Hot, dry weather cures grass and brush and lowers fuel moisture, which helps fires spread, but NIFC's tallies do not assign a cause to the season as a whole, and ignition sources and fuel conditions also shape how many fires start and how large they grow. NIFC notes that thousands of fires each year are started by people, through escaped debris burns, unattended campfires, and sparks or heat from vehicles and equipment.

Downstream Homes Face the Debris Flow Threat

Fire strips away vegetation and, where it burns hot or long enough, can leave soil that repels water much like pavement. The NWS describes burn scar debris flows as fast-moving landslides made of mud, rocks, boulders and entire trees that can outrun a person, and notes that far less rain than usual is needed to trigger them. Grand Junction forecasters warned of rain rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour over the Lee scar on the night of Sept. 13 and 0.7 to 1.5 inches per hour over the Ferris scar on Sept. 14. "This is a life threatening situation," the warnings stated, adding that roads and driveways could be washed away.

The hazard does not fade quickly. Colorado's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says heightened post-fire flood and debris flow risk typically lasts for years, until roots re-establish, vegetation regrows, and the water-repellent soil layer breaks down.

The greatest risk falls on homes, campgrounds and roads below steep burned slopes, on drivers at low-water crossings, and on anyone in those areas at night, when dangers are harder to see. Warning signs include rapidly rising or muddy creeks, rumbling sounds upstream, and rocks or mud on roads. Flooding can reach places where no rain is falling.

If a flash flood warning is issued, move to higher ground right away and never drive into water covering a road. Residents near burn scars should sign up for county emergency alerts, keep phone alerts on overnight, and know an uphill route. Most homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and National Flood Insurance Program policies generally take 30 days to take effect, with limited exceptions, so review coverage before storms arrive.

Containment Progress and the Next Official Updates

Several large Western fires show high containment on NIFC's latest list, including Oregon's 373,927-acre Rowe Creek Complex at 99 percent and Washington's 172,705-acre Little Giant Fire at 81 percent. Montana's Camp Creek Fire and Washington's King Fire were listed at 0 percent.

Families displaced by Pacific Northwest fires can find state aid programs compiled by the nonprofit Healthcare Ready, whose Aug. 13 update noted that Washington's statewide emergency burn ban runs through Sept. 30. Evacuation and return decisions belong to local officials.

NIFC posts updated national figures each weekday, and the U.S. Drought Monitor releases a new map each Thursday. What remains unknown is how far the new Texas and Oklahoma fires will spread, what caused most of the new starts, and whether more storms will stall over Colorado burn scars. Nature World News will update this story as NIFC and the NWS release new information.

Developing Story Timeline

Sept. 16, 2026: NIFC reports 56,042 fires and 8,514,803 acres year to date. NWS Grand Junction warns of the Lee burn scar from 12:51 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. MDT.

Sept. 15, 2026: NIFC reports 60 new fires and nine new large incidents, with the Southern Area the top national priority.

Sept. 14, 2026: NWS Grand Junction warns for the Ferris burn scar (5:42 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. MDT) and the Lee burn scar (2:26 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. MDT). NIFC lists 54,407 fires year to date.

Sept. 13, 2026: NWS Grand Junction warns of the Lee burn scar from 8:25 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. MDT.

Sept. 9, 2026: NIFC sets the National Preparedness Level at 3, and NCEI reports the warmest U.S. summer on record.

The bottom line: The national fire count has passed 56,000, activity is shifting toward Texas and Oklahoma, and Colorado's burn scars show how quickly rain can become a separate emergency. People below burned slopes should treat every flash flood warning as urgent, and Southern Plains residents should avoid creating sparks outdoors until conditions improve. Follow county emergency managers and the NWS, not social media.

What Readers Want to Know

How many wildfires has the U.S. had in 2026? NIFC counted 56,042 fires and 8,514,803 acres from Jan. 1 through Sept. 16, above the 10-year averages of 44,446 fires and 5,786,645 acres for the same period.

Which areas are the current fire priority? NIFC named the Southern Area its highest priority, with new large fires in Texas and Oklahoma. Large fires also continue in Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, California and Colorado, among other states.

Why do burn scars flood so easily? Fire removes plants and can leave soil that repels water, so rain runs off quickly and can carry mud, rocks and trees downhill as a debris flow. The NWS says much less rain than usual is needed to cause flash flooding.

Are the Colorado flash flood warnings still active? No. The Grand Junction warnings for the Lee and Ferris burn scars issued from Sept. 13 through Sept. 16 have all expired. New warnings can be issued whenever storms develop.

Who faces the greatest risk from debris flows? People in homes, campgrounds and on roads below steep burned slopes, drivers at low-water crossings, and anyone in those areas at night.

Does homeowners insurance cover burn scar flooding? Most homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. National Flood Insurance Program policies generally take 30 days to take effect, with limited exceptions, so check coverage early.

When is the next update? NIFC updates national figures each weekday, and the U.S. Drought Monitor issues a new map each Thursday.