A red flag warning has been issued for several East Coast states as strong winds due to unseasonably warm weather and dry and windy conditions plaguing the region.
The National Weather Service (NWS) showed alerts in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
A red flag warning is issued when a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels will create a significantly elevated fire growth potential.
New York City, including Long Island and lower Hudson Valley, have also been placed under the alert after the region was declared a ‘drought watch’ last week.
The red flag warning will remain in effect until 6pm ET.Â
West winds of five to 15 mile per hour with gusts up to 30 mile per hour and relative humidity as low as 28 percent are expected today.
The combination of factors ‘create a significantly elevated fire growth potential,’ sparking fires that can spread fast without warning.Â
This is a developing story… More updates to come.
A red flag warning has been issued for several East Coast states as strong winds due to unseasonably warm weather and dry and windy conditions plaguing the region
The red flag warning was largely due to record droughts plaguing the nation, which officials said are the worst in decades.
The East Coast has not had rain in more than one month, creating optimal conditions for wildfires that have sparked in New Jersey and Connecticut.
New Jersey is battling at least four brush fires along the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs that sparked Thursday night.
