As 107 big wildfires flare throughout the West, the United States is bracing for another "dangerous" heat wave.

 

As experts urge Americans to brace for another catastrophic heat wave this week, more than 100 big wildfires are burning across almost 2.3 million acres of the United States West.

The National Weather Service reported Sunday that "widespread air quality advisories and scattered Red Flag Warnings reach from the Northwest and Northern Rockies to the High Plains, as well as into sections of central California." 

"It's going to be a brutal week, with deadly heat and high temperatures expected across much of the United States. Excessive heat warnings have been issued for much of the Pacific Northwest, including the Portland and Seattle metro areas, for the middle to end of the week. Meanwhile, heat advisories are in effect for much of the south-central United States, as well as areas of western New York."

State of play: According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 107 big flames were blazing across 15 states on Sunday, with weather conditions already threatening.  

• The Dixie Fire, California's second-largest wildfire in state history, is the country's largest inferno currently burning. As on Sunday night, it had burned 627 buildings, damaged 42 others, and razed 489,287 acres.

• "Near-critical conditions were observed over north central Montana, with wind gusts up to 45 mph, and up to 30 mph in eastern Oregon," the NIFC said in a statement.

• "The Whitmore, Green Ridge, Black Butte, Thorne Creek, and Woods Creek fires all had active fire behavior as a result of these winds. Despite the fact that numerous wildfires were active in the late afternoon, California is still blanketed in smoke."

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), there were 25 significant fires burning in Montana on Sunday, 20 in Idaho, 16 in Oregon, 13 in Washington state, 11 in California, 10 in Alaska, and four in Wyoming.

• One significant fire had been reported in each of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico.  

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), "the fire outlook continues to reflect warmer and drier conditions, leading to a high probability for severe wildfire activity over the western United States through the rest of summer and into the fall."

• "Widespread high temperatures, along with times of lightning activity, are exacerbating the wildfire situation in the West."  

The big picture: The Pacific Northwest has already experienced a record-breaking, catastrophic heat wave, with wildfires spreading across the West far ahead of peak fire season.

• Extreme weather events have been linked to climate change by scientists.

• On Monday, the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was set to release a major report on climate change and the warming globe.