ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s all about the windy, warm and dry weather in Central Florida.
The gusty west to southwest wind not only continues to bring hazards to boaters along the coast, but it plays a part in the fire danger risk, too.
Dry air is still moving into Central Florida, which lowers the relative humidity values. The lower the relative humidity, the greater the risk for fires due to the impact is has on the vegetation and soil around it, among other factors.
Basically, with no rain in the forecast, the moisture that’s in plants or soil dries up at a faster rate. Dry plants are fuel for any fire that may ignite.
Adding strong wind gusts to the situation makes it a little worse. The embers from the fires will be carried allowing the fire to spread at a faster rate. Keep in mind, Central Florida still needs upwards of 5 inches of rainfall in some areas just to be out of the deficit.
Avoid any outdoor burning!
The good news is the wind begins to slow down by Wednesday night. The relative humidity will continue to drop through Thursday, reaching low levels in the 20-30% range. Watch for fire danger updates as we will be following them closely over the next few days.
The heat each day will gradually go up, but there will be a little more cloud cover late in the week.
Highs will near 90 heading into the weekend.
The good news is moisture will be on the rise as a southerly flow returns late in the week, allowing for a few showers by the weekend.