Fire Threat High In NYC As Winds Rise And Humidity Drops

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Wind gusts and lower humidity Tuesday afternoon might mean fire will spread more quickly in New York City, weather experts warned.

The city's emergency notification system alerted New Yorkers around 9:30 a.m. that a "special weather statement" had been issued by the National Weather Service for parts of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Southern Queens.

The warning was expanded citywide just a few hours later.

The weather statement now applies to all of New York City as well as parts of Connecticut, New Jersey and Westchester. It warns that humidity levels fall into the teens or lower 20s and wind gusts stay around 20 to 25 mph that there is an enhanced potential for fire spread, according to the NWS statement.

Special weather statements are issued for hazards that have not yet reached an advisory status or do not have codes of their own.

The statement did not give an exact time that the warning would end.