Weather and Tropical Updates: August 15, 2025

Tropical Weather

Hurricane Erin has strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.¹ The storm is currently located a few hundred miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and is forecast to continue intensifying, possibly reaching Category 4 strength.² While the current forecast track keeps it away from the U.S. East Coast, it is expected to bring heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.³ A broader area of low pressure is also being monitored off the coast of North Carolina, but its development potential is low.⁴

• Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC) – NOAA: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• Source: National Weather Service (NWS): https://www.weather.gov/

General Weather

• South Texas: Tropical downpours are causing heavy rainfall and potential flooding in South Texas, which are expected to continue into the weekend.⁵
• Tennessee: Historic flooding in East Tennessee has resulted in fatalities and continued rain is a threat for cities like Chattanooga.⁶
• La Niña Watch: A La Niña Watch has been issued, while the Pacific continues to show ENSO-neutral conditions.⁷
• Source: FOX Weather: https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news
• Source: AccuWeather: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news

Wildfire Updates

The wildfire situation remains active across the United States.⁸ As of August 15, 2025, there are 46 large fires burning across eight geographic areas.⁹ A total of 17,731 firefighters and support personnel have been assigned to these incidents.¹⁰ The year-to-date total for wildfires in 2025 is 43,654, with a total of over 3.6 million acres burned.¹¹

• Source: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn

California Wildfires

In California, there are multiple active wildfires, with the Gifford Fire in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties being the largest at over 132,000 acres.¹² New fires have also been reported, including a 167-acre fire in Solano County that started today and has no containment.¹³ The fire risk is being heightened by weakening coastal marine layers and persistent drought conditions in some areas.¹⁴

• Source: CAL FIRE: https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents

Disclaimer: This information was researched and curated with the assistance of AI, but reviewed and verified by a human.