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Weather services warns of a another day of elevated fire risk

By Howard B. Owens

From the National Weather Service:

... ANOTHER DAY OF ELEVATED FIRE RISK...

A VERY DRY AIRMASS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE REGION TODAY... WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROPPING INTO THE 30 TO 35 PERCENT RANGE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AWAY FROM THE LAKESHORES... AND AS LOW AS 25 TO 30 PERCENT ACROSS FAR INTERIOR SECTIONS. IT HAS NOW BEEN ABOUT A WEEK SINCE THE LAST RAINFALL... AND LEFTOVER DEAD VEGETATION FROM LAST YEAR SUCH AS GRASSES AND LEAVES REMAINS BONE DRY.

WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 20 MPH BY MIDDAY... WITH SOME GUSTS OF 25 TO 30 MPH BECOMING POSSIBLE DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF A WEAK COOL FRONT. WHILE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL ALSO BE ON THE RISE FOLLOWING THE FRONT AND SHOULD PREVENT CONDITIONS FROM REACHING RED FLAG CRITERIA... SUCH CRITERIA COULD STILL BE BRIEFLY APPROACHED FOR A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS INTERIOR SECTIONS OF THE WESTERN SOUTHERN TIER AND FINGER LAKES REGION.

PLEASE ADHERE TO THE STATEWIDE BURN BAN WHICH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH MAY 14TH.

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