RED FLAG WARNING THURSDAY FOR FIRE DANGER; FIRE WEATHER WATCH FRIDAY

  

Dry conditions and high winds are bringing critical fire weather into the region.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning for the area today (Thursday), including Washington and surrounding counties.  The warning goes into effect at 10 a.m. and extends until 7 p.m. for counties under the NWS Houston/Galveston office, going until 8 p.m. for counties covered by the Austin/San Antonio office.

A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for tomorrow (Friday).

Residents are advised to avoid outdoor burning and be extremely cautious with operations that could lead to fire, as fires may spread very quickly.

Northwest winds of 10-20 mph with gusts of 25 mph will develop by the late morning and continue through the afternoon, paired with an afternoon relative humidity of 15-20 percent.  Poor recovery of the humidity is expected overnight, and tomorrow is expected to be as dry or even drier, although winds may be slightly less.