Red Flag Warning Issued In Massachusetts For Critical Fire Weather Conditions
BOSTON (CBS) -- What a stretch… Boston has now gone 13 days without any rain or snow. We picked up 0.18" of rain on the first, but it has been dry since then! That is the fourth-longest stretch of consecutive days without measurable precipitation. Keep in mind, we won't be breaking the record that was set in 1915 when the entire month of March recorded no precipitation. Sure, we had a few snow squalls that brought in Arctic air over the weekend, which dropped 0.1" of snow but not enough precipitation to be measurable in the record books.
So, the recent dry pattern and record warmth last week, help reduce the snowpack significantly. This dry vegetation on days when the relative humidity is low, and winds are gusty can be a natural fire starter. Even when temperatures are in the 20s to low 30s, the dry weather and strong northwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph Monday, is putting the entire area at an elevated fire risk.
A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect until 9 PM this evening for the entire state (where there is no snow cover), for critical fire weather conditions. Meaning, any fire that does start, can rapidly spread and be difficult to extinguish. Be careful with any open flame and be aware of disposing of litter properly. There were several brush fires reported over the last few days due to the very dry and breezy conditions in place.
Looking ahead, while winds will relax for tomorrow, a very weak storm will pass to our south Tuesday night and Wednesday. Right now, there is just a chance of some light snow/rain showers, but the bulk of precipitation looks to remain offshore. However, there will be another storm to watch later this week as well. This one also looks like it will pass to our south as well but brush us with a mix of rain to start, before changing over to snow late Thursday into Friday. Seems fitting as Friday is the last full day of Winter.
Stay with WBZ as we fine-tune the track and precip type later this week!
