The National Weather Service warns that there is a high risk of fire spreading in parts of the Mid Atlantic today.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Special Weather Statement for all of New Jersey and Delaware, as well as much of the eastern two-thirds of Pennsylvania and Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and Northern Virginia, warning of the danger of fire.
According to the NWS, minimum humidity values in this region will fall to between 20 and 30 percent, which, combined with northwesterly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, will create conditions ripe for fire spread.
The continued drying of the fine fuels will also aid in the rapid spread of any fires that do start, which could quickly become difficult to control.
“Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged,” the National Weather Service warns. It continues: “Be sure to properly extinguish or dispose of any potential ignition sources, including smoking materials such as cigarette butts.”
The NWS encourages people in these affected areas to contact their state’s forest fire management agency for more information on burn restrictions in their community.
Fires continue to burn on Long Island, New York, prompting the governor to declare an emergency. Governor Kathy Hochul declared an emergency and said state agencies were responding to fires in the Pine Barrens, a wooded area east of New York City on Long Island.
She told the press that the fire threatened homes, a chemical factory, and an Amazon warehouse. Some neighbourhoods have undergone evacuations, and more may be required today. Firefighters on Long Island reported that the fires were 50% contained as of this morning.
