Favorable Conditions For Wildfires Prompt Red Flag Warning For VA

VIRGINIA — A dry day with gusty winds up to 45 mph pose a greater wildfire risk for parts of Northern and central Virginia, with the National Weather Service issuing a red flag warning for the DC-Baltimore region through Tuesday night.

Areas under the red flag warning until 8 p.m. include: Augusta, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Frederick, Page, Warren, Clarke, Nelson, Albemarle, Green, Madison, Rappahannock, Orange, Culpeper, Fairfax, Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, Fauquier, Highland, Loudoun, Blue Ridge, Prince William, Manassas, Manassas Park, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley, Jefferson, Hardy, Grant, Mineral and Pendleton.

The warning is in place for most of Virginia, Maryland, and eastern West Virginia.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for west winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts ranging from 35 to 45 mph.

Humidity will hover around 18 percent before dropping to 7 percent.

"Critical fire weather conditions are expected through this evening," the NWS Service Baltimore-Washington, D.C., wrote. "All outdoor burning is discouraged, as fires could rapidly spread and become uncontrollable."

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire hazards.

Tuesday's forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Tonight, skies will be clear, with a low around 45 degrees. Northwest wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Warmth will push back into Northern Virginia this week, with daily highs reaching 87 degrees on Thursday and 89 on Friday. Rain isn't in the forecast until Saturday.

During spring wildfire season, the leading unintentional cause of wildfires is burning of debris or other outdoor burning, which on a ten-year average accounts for 34 percent of the fires to which the Maryland Forest Service responds.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said the second-leading cause of wildfires is arson, followed by man-made causes such as heat or sparks from equipment use.

Experts recommend that instead of outdoor debris burning, you compost or mulch yard waste, leaves and brush, and use larger brush or trees for firewood.

Outdoor burning should only be done on low fire danger days.

Open air burning is only allowed if:

• There is a natural or constructed fire break at least 10 feet wide completely around the material to be burned that is free of flammable materials;
• Adequate personnel and equipment are present to prevent the fire from escaping;
• At least one responsible person remains at the location of the fire until the last spark is out; and
• Burning occurs between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight unless the ground is covered with snow.