Critical Fire Weather Conditions Expected Friday

From the desk of Michael Ball, Deputy Chief LVFD/ Fire Warden

The National Weather Service in Gray, ME has issued a Fire Weather Watch for all 10 NH counties from Friday morning through Friday evening.

A cold front will move through the region tonight, ushering in a cool and very dry air mass straight out of the Arctic. While temperatures warm on Friday from the strong May sun, the very dry
air will produce relative humidity values around 20 percent. In addition, a northwest wind of 10 to 20 mph is expected with higher gusts, setting the stage for rapid fire growth if a fire
were to occur.

* Winds: Northwest 5 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidity: As low as 20 percent.

* Temperatures: Peaking in the mid-50s to mid-60s.

* Lightning: None

* Impacts: Very dry conditions will combine with gusty northwest winds to produce dangerous conditions for wildfires. If a fire develops, it could spread rapidly in these conditions. Use extra
precaution to avoid starting a fire.

Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.