Millions under wildfire alerts in central U.S., as warmth, winds fuel risks

U.S. More than 15 million under fire weather alerts in central U.S., as warmth, strong winds fuel "extreme" wildfire risks By Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor April 23, 2026 / 11:50 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google More than 15 million people across the central United States are under fire weather alerts through Friday, as a combination of heat, dry air and strong winds fuel risks of "extreme" wildfire behavior, forecasters said.Within that group are roughly 3.8 million who face what the National Weather Service calls "critical fire weather" conditions on Thursday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.The critical risk area covers parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas the prediction center said. Broader sections of those states, as well as parts of Arizona, South Dakota and Wyoming, are seeing "elevated fire weather" conditions, which are slightly less intense. Areas marked in red are facing "critical" fire weather conditions on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Those marked in orange face "elevated" fire weather conditions. Nikki Nolan/CBS News Meteorologists define critical fire weather conditions as those that create favorable environments for wildfires to develop. Criteria includes high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds, and a mixture of all three generally triggers red flag warnings.The weather service has said it 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 conditi...