Numbers

By Melissa August, Jeffrey Kluger, Ellin Martens, Benjamin Nugent, Sora Song and Heather Won Tesoriero

$1.78 Average price of regular gasoline in Illinois

$1.35 Average price of regular gasoline in Illinois a month ago, before a surprise late-summer spurt

2.9 million acres of U.S. forests that have burned so far this year

8.4 million acres that burned last year, still a record

Sources: New York Times; aaa.com forestinformation.com