Every two days, US wildfires are consuming an area the size of Washington, DC. And there’s no let up in sight

The dozens of wildfires that have scorched the western US this summer have consumed on average 30 square miles – almost half the size of Washington, DC – on a daily basis, the US Drought Monitor said Thursday.

And the unrelenting heat will make matters even worse as dangerous, dry thunderstorms are expected this weekend in Northern California, home to the nation’s largest wildfire.

“Little or no precipitation fell on most of the (Western) region, and drought intensity remained unchanged from last week in most areas,” the monitor said, noting that the dryness, exacerbated by periods of intense heat, “has led to the rapid development and expansion of wildfires.”

People board a ferry during evacuation as a wildfire burns in the village of Limni, on the island of Evia, Greece, August 6, 2021. Picture taken August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou

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Since early June, the fires have burned an area “approaching half the size of Washington, DC,” according to the monitor, which is produced through a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Overall, there are currently 104 active fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The largest fire is in California, while Montana has the most, with 25 wildfires, the agency said.

The Alisal Fire burns near Goleta, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

A firefighter puts out a roadside fire in Goleta, California, on Wednesday, October 13.

An air tanker drops retardant on a wildfire in Goleta.

James Grooms looks through the remains of his home at the Rancho Marina Mobile Home & RV Park following the Brannan Fire in Sacramento County, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

Firefighter Tyler McManigal battles the Alisal Fire in Gaviota, California, on October 12.

A forest of ashen trees stands in the wake of the Windy Fire, south of California Hot Springs, on September 27.

A volunteer attempts to evacuate horses to safety as the Windy Fire expands in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 25.

Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace looks at the General Sherman giant sequoia tree at Sequoia National Park on September 22. The base of the tree, the world's largest by volume, was wrapped in an aluminum-based burn-resistant material to protect it from wildfires.

Firefighters spray water as flames from the Windy Fire push toward a road in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 22.

Firefighters battling the Windy Fire extinguish a spot fire in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

The Windy Fire burns in the Trail of 100 Giants grove in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

A helicopter drops water on the KNP Complex Fire burning in Sequoia National Park on September 15.

Flames from the KNP Complex Fire burn along a hillside in the Sequoia National Park on September 14.

This aerial photo, taken on September 4, shows the Dixie Fire on Horton Ridge in Plumas County, California.

Riley Cantrell cries while she and boyfriend, Bradley Fairbanks, view what's left of her mother's home in Greenville, California, on September 4. It was destroyed by the Dixie Fire.

A firefighter is seen as the Caldor Fire rages near California's Silver Lake on September 2.

A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Embers fly from a tree as the Caldor Fire burns along Highway 50 in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Veronica Foster, an evacuee from South Lake Tahoe, California, hugs her dog, Gracie, as she and her co-workers gather outside an evacuation center in Gardnerville, Nevada, on August 31. The governors of California and Nevada declared states of emergency as the fast-moving Caldor Fire prompted officials to tell everyone to get out of South Lake Tahoe.

Jason Marone of the Roseville Fire Department hoses down a hot spot in Meyers, California, on August 31.

A tree burns in a blackened forest at dawn on August 30 after the Caldor Fire tore through Twin Bridges, California.

A firefighter winds up hose at a spot fire near Meyers, California, on August 30.

The Caldor Fire burns homes along a ridge near South Lake Tahoe on August 30.

South Lake Tahoe residents are stuck in gridlock while attempting to evacuate the city on August 30.

A tanker makes a fire-retardant drop near Lytle Creek, California, on August 26 as efforts continued to stop the South Fire.

A firefighter tries to extinguish flames at a burning house as the South Fire burned in Lytle Creek, California, on August 25.

From left, Astrid Covarrubias, Jose Lamas and Maria Covarrubias walk through smoke after visiting their burned-out home in Lytle Creek on August 25.

The French Fire continues to spread near Wofford Heights, California, on August 25.

Firefighters are seen behind the flames of a backfire they were setting to battle the French Fire near Wofford Heights.

Crews battle California's Caldor Fire as it moved east toward Lake Tahoe on August 23.

This aerial photo, taken on August 19, shows burned homes at the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after they were destroyed by the Cache Fire in Clearlake, California.

Firefighters dig a containment line on the Caldor Fire near Pollock Pines, California, on August 18.

Smoke and haze from wildfires obscure the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline on August 18.

In this long-exposure photo, embers light up hillsides as the Dixie Fire burns near Milford, California, on August 17.

Destiney Barnard holds Raymond William Goetchius while stranded at a gas station in Doyle, California, on August 17. Barnard's car broke down as she was helping Raymond and his family flee the Dixie Fire.

Destroyed property is seen August 17 after the Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, California.

Firefighters spray water on trees being burned by the Dixie Fire near Janesville, California, on August 17.

As the KNP Complex Fire approaches, Forest Service firefighters Armando Flores, right, and Heron Hilbach-Barger clear vegetation around structures at the Ash Mountain headquarters in Sequoia National Park, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2021. The blaze is burning near the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias.

A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on August 15.

Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on August 14.

Crews battle a fire in Newhall, California, on August 12.

A table and chairs sit in front of a destroyed home in Greenville, California, on August 12.

A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, on August 10.

Smoke plumes rise from the Kwis Fire near Eugene, Oregon, on August 10.

A firefighter works to extinguish a controlled burn, a preventative measure, to protect a home in Greenville, California, on August 9.

Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear a fallen tree from a roadway in Plumas County, California, on August 6.

Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a pickup truck on Highway 89, south of Greenville, California, on August 5.

Operations Chief Jay Walter passes the historic Sierra Lodge as the Dixie Fire burns through Greenville, California, on August 4. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville.

Firefighters work at a Greenville home that was engulfed by the Dixie Fire on August 4.

The Dixie Fire burns near Taylorsville, California, on July 29.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak tour an area destroyed by the Tamarack Fire in Gardnerville, Nevada, on July 28.

Firefighter Brentt Call walks through a burned-over area of the Bootleg Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 27.

Cal Fire Capts. Tristan Gale, left, and Derek Leong monitor a firing operation in California's Lassen National Forest on July 26. Crews had set a ground fire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading.

Firefighters try to reach a fire site in Quincy, California, on July 25.

Volunteers sort clothing at a donation shelter for those affected by the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon.

Scott Griffin surveys his property, which was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire in Sycan Estates, Oregon.

Flames consume a home as the Dixie Fire tears through the Indian Falls community of Plumas County, California, on July 24.

People stand behind the fire line as flames from the Steptoe Canyon Fire spread through dry grass in Colton, Washington, on July 22.

Plumes of smoke from the Dixie Fire rise above California's Plumas National Forest, near the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Power House, on July 21.

Firefighters walk near a wildfire in Topanga, California, on July 19.

A firefighter does mop-up work in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, which has been struggling with the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.

A car is charred by the Bootleg Fire along a mountain road near Bly, Oregon.

Nicolas Bey, 11, hugs his father, Sayyid, near a donated trailer they are using after their home was burned in the Bootleg Fire near Beatty, Oregon.

Firefighters extinguish hot spots in an area affected by the Bootleg Fire near Bly, Oregon.

A bear cub clings to a tree after being spotted by a safety officer at the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.

Firefighters work to protect Markleeville, California, from the Tamarack Fire on July 17. The Tamarack Fire was started by a lightning strike.

The Tamarack Fire burns in Markleeville, near the California-Nevada border, on July 17.

A member of the Northwest Incident Management Team 12 holds a map of the Chuweah Creek Fire as wildfires devastated Nespelem, Washington, on July 16.

A cloud from the Bootleg Fire drifts into the air near Bly, Oregon, on July 16.

Firefighters spray water from the Union Pacific Railroad's fire train while battling the Dixie Fire in California's Plumas National Forest on July 16.

Horses climb a hillside that was burned by the Chuweah Creek Fire in eastern Washington.

Fire from the Bootleg Fire illuminates smoke near Bly, Oregon, on the night of July 16.

A firefighter battles the Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, along the Oregon and California border, on July 15.

A firefighting aircraft drops flame retardant on the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon, on July 15.

Firefighters dig away at hot spots underneath stumps and brush after flames from the Snake River Complex Fire swept through the area south of Lewiston, Idaho, on July 15.

Burned cars sit outside a home that was destroyed by the Chuweah Creek Fire in Nespelem, Washington.

Evacuee Dee McCarley hugs her cat Bunny at a Red Cross center in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 14.

An airplane drops fire retardant on the Chuweah Creek Fire in Washington on July 14.

Operations Section Chief Bert Thayer examines a map of the Bootleg Fire in Chiloquin, Oregon, on July 13.

Fire consumes a home as the Sugar Fire, part of the Beckwourth Complex Fire, tears through Doyle, California, on July 10. It's the second time in less than a year that the small town has been ravaged by a wildfire.

Men hug a member of the Red Cross at a Bootleg Fire evacuation center in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Embers blow across a field as the Sugar Fire burns in Doyle, California, on July 9.

Firefighters monitor the Sugar Fire in Doyle, California, on July 9.

In this long-exposure photograph, taken early on July 2, flames surround a drought-stricken Shasta Lake during the Salt Fire in Lakehead, California.

In pictures: Wildfires raging in the West

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Of growing concern is the Richard Spring Fire on Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana. The fire has swelled to more than 166,000 acres, up from 149,453 a day prior, according to InciWeb, the US clearinghouse for fire information. The fire’s containment dropped to 0% Thursday, down from 15% the previous day. The fire is expected to merge with the smaller nearby Lame Deer Fire, which has burned 3,884 acres.

Evacuation orders were issued for the town of Lame Deer as officials warned the fire was bearing down on the small community of more than 2,000 people. Fire crews used dozers and point-protection measures to protect the community, according to InciWeb. Multiple evacuations sites have been set up to house those who are displaced.

“At this stage of the fire, we are turning our efforts towards supplying firefighters and displaced residents with supplies. The community has had a great response to the needs of the residents. I have released one of the Montana Sheriff’s Mutual Aid Teams and the remaining two are going out to assist us with supply deliveries,” Rosebud County Sheriff Allen Fulton said Thursday in a Facebook post.

Rowdy Alexander watches from atop his horse as a hillside burns on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation near Lame Deer, Montana, on August 11, 2021

The Richard Spring and Lame Deer fires exhibited intense activity, with winds gusting 25-35 mph and relative humidity of 15-25%, NIFC said Thursday.

Fire personnel had already been bracing for increased activity in the West due to the insufferable heat and severe drought conditions driven by climate change. The Pacific Northwest was again under heat warnings as temperatures rise up to 25 degrees above normal.

The Dixie Fire –California’s second-largest in history– has charred more than half a million acres over the past month. The fire’s containment Thursday stood at 31%, up by one percentage point from a day prior, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.

The Dixie Fire has destroyed 1,045 structures, including more than 550 homes and 140 commercial buildings. Another 69 structures have been damaged, and more than 15,000 structures remain at risk.

And more fires could be sparked in the Northern California area because there is a chance for isolated dry thunderstorms near the Dixie Fire, CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford said.

“There also is a high pressure that is over this area, which will not break down until next week. So this will be an issue for the next few days,” he said.

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Cal Fire said a Red Flag Warning would be in effect in Northern California starting Friday afternoon until late in the evening “due to potential dry lightning.”

Such a warning is issued when there is “severe fire weather such as strong sustained winds, gusts and low humidity, combined with a high fire danger rating,” according to the NIFC.

“Fire activity remained moderate today on the Dixie Fire. Warm and dry conditions will continue through the end of the week. Sporadic isolated thunderstorms occurred within the fire area today but did not result in any new fire ignitions,” Cal Fire said.

After walking down a gravel road to do recon on a fire cresting into the trees, a wildland firefighter grimaces as he walks back to his crew on August 12, 2021, at the Bedrock Fire north of Lenore, Idaho.

California wildfires have so far ripped through more than 917,000 acres, which is a dramatic increase of 233% over the same period last year, becoming the state’s worst wildfire year on record, according to Cal Fire.

CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller contributed to this report.