...ELEVATED RISK OF WILDFIRE SPREAD THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING...
A combination of low relative humidity, westerly breezes, and dry
fine fuels will lead to an elevated risk for fire spread with any
potential fire starts Thursday afternoon and evening across
eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the eastern shores
of Maryland.
Minimum relative humidity values this afternoon will range from
22 to 26 percent across the region. Winds will be somewhat lighter
and not as gusty as the past couple of days. However, this
afternoon into early evening west winds will still be sustained 8
to 12 mph, and a brief gust to 20 mph cannot be ruled out. Fine
fuels in the form of dry or dead vegetation will be quite dry as
well, and conducive to fire starts and fairly quick fire spread.
This is particularly true in areas that have not received hardly
any rainfall in the last 10 days, across much of Pennsylvania to
northern and central New Jersey.
Residents are urged to exercise caution if handling any potential
ignition source, including machinery, cigarettes, and matches. Be
sure to properly discard all smoking materials. Any dry grasses,
dead leaves, and other tree litter that ignite will have the
potential to spread fire quickly.
For more information about wildfire danger, burn restrictions,
and wildfire prevention and eduction, please visit your state's
forestry or environmental protection website.
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