Vermont Wildfire, Smoke, and Air Quality Map
Vermont burns rarely and floods often; the July 2023 flooding along the Winooski was a larger statewide event than any recent fire season. This page tracks the live layers most relevant to conditions across the state.
Current conditions snapshot
- Wildfires
- No active mapped fires attributed to Vermont in the national feed right now.
- Red flag warnings
- No Red Flag Warnings in or near the Vermont map area.
- Smoke
- Heavy smoke over parts of the Vermont map area in the latest NOAA analysis (2026-08-09).
- Fire weather
- No elevated SPC fire weather outlook over the Vermont map area today.
- Drought
- Parts of the Vermont map area are moderate drought (D1) on this week's U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Air quality
- Worst AirNow forecast for a Vermont reporting area: Burlington, AQI 45 (Good).
- River gauges
- No gauges reporting flood conditions in the Vermont map area.
Data as of Aug 10, 3:20 PM MDT. Sources: NIFC, NWS, NOAA, EPA AirNow, U.S. Drought Monitor. Map areas are rectangular and overlap neighboring states; open the live map for exact locations.
Fire season and landscape
What fire there is comes in early spring, between snowmelt and green-up, and it usually stays small and litter-driven. The recurring summer hazard is Canadian wildfire smoke, which has repeatedly settled into Vermont's valleys and driven AQI episodes far from any local flame; flooding remains the hazard that actually shapes the state.
The Green Mountain National Forest covers roughly 400,000 acres down the spine of the state, with working timberland spread across the Northeast Kingdom. Narrow valleys concentrate both settlement and rivers, which is why flood events like 2023 and Irene in 2011 dominate Vermont's hazard history.
- Vermont's river gauges are the state's most consequential layer in most seasons; the Winooski, Lamoille, and Otter Creek all rise fast in prolonged rain.
- Smoke that stalls over the Champlain Valley can hold AQI in the moderate-to-unhealthy range for days, and the air quality forecast layer shows how long a plume is expected to linger.
- Snowpack totals in the Greens feed spring runoff, so the snowpack layer in late winter is an early read on the melt season ahead.
Official Vermont sources
Layer guides for Vermont conditions
Informational only. Not an emergency alert service. Data comes from government sources that can lag, drop, or be wrong at any time. In an emergency call 911 and follow your local authorities. Field Risk Systems is not affiliated with any government agency. See the terms of use and privacy notice.
Nearby states
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