In Colorado, the Calwood Fireis burning strong after four days.
The fire roared down the front range foothills on Saturday. It looked like a super storm of smoke. The USDA says that this kind of wildfire activity is almost unheard of this time of year in Colorado.
Late September and early October are usually cold and rainy, with snow in the higher elevations, but a return to normal is in the forecast.
According to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, “The good news for Colorado is that it is cooling down and we do expect to see, especially by the weekend and early next week, some snow arriving that should help with containment efforts, for that fire and others that have recently flared up across the Colorado Rockies.”
The USDA also has a warning for Californians.
A system is brewing offshore that could cause wildfires to flare up. It could drop over the weekend or early into next week, creating significant wind.
Rippey says that it could lead to another wildfire crisis if any existing fires are still lit, or any new ones develop.
It has been a record wildfire season in California, burning more than four million acres, so far this year. That puts the nation on pace to reach or break the record set in 2015 of more than ten million total acres.
New California fire scorches wine country near San Francisco.