Fire Danger On Saturday

A front will sweep through the area early tonight and drag in extremely dry air for Saturday. In addition, we will see strong winds from the west/northwest sustained at 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. For these reasons, a Red Flag Warning has been issued from 9 AM to 9 PM on Saturday for high fire danger. Winds will eventually diminish by Saturday night.

Extreme Fire Danger Saturday

A dry cold front will pass through Virginia overnight tonight, ushering in extremely dry air and whipping winds up from the northwest on Saturday at 20-30 mph with gusts to 40 mph. Even though the front will allow cooler air to begin moving into the Mid-Atlantic, relative humidity values will still drop Saturday afternoon into the 10%-20% range in the Commonwealth. These factors will create an extreme fire danger threat Saturday, and there is a Fire Weather Watch in effect for tomorrow. This watch will likely be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning later.



More than 65% of the Commonwealth is now in a moderate drought, with the rest of the state abnormally dry (except most of the Eastern Shore).



We will be monitoring the fire danger today (which is high) and especially Saturday (critical) in central Virginia, and provide updates on any fires that start and spread out of control. You are advised to postpone any outdoor burning until after the weekend. We will have a shot at some rain on Monday and Tuesday next week, and it will be cooler by the middle of next week. Even so, outdoor burning is still banned before 4 p.m. each day in Virginia.

Drought Conditions Worsen in Virginia

As we continue to fall behind for our year-to-date precipitation this month, drought conditions are expanding eastward in central Virginia. Now everywhere along I-95 is included in Moderate Drought, the first level of drought. 65% of the Commonwealth is now officially considered to be in a drought, up from 57% percent at the report a week ago.



Here is how Richmond compares for our year-to-date precipitation with the normal and last year:


Also, the eastern Peninsulas are now considered to be "Abnormally Dry" after another week without any significant precipitation. This does not bode well for the continued high fire danger expected through Saturday in the state. A dry cold front will pass through the Commonwealth overnight Friday into early Saturday, generating gusty winds around 35 mph (both Friday and Saturday afternoons) and reinforcing the dry air mass. The worst day for fire danger should be Saturday, when very low relative humidity will combine with strong west-northwesterly winds. These are the three critical fire danger factors that are a result of the weather, and that we pay close attention to during a day that meets these three criteria: