Previous Articles Sections Next

PM Update: Red flag warning for elevated wildfire risk through evening

Several large fires are burning to our west and high winds are blowing the smoke into the D.C. area. A cold front pulls temperatures back downward Thursday.

By Ian Livingston | 2024-03-20

Hotspots from wildfires are seen on satellite this afternoon near the Virginia/West Virginia border. (CIRA/RAMMB)

* Red flag warning for the immediate area until 8 p.m. *

Across the Washington area, gusts as high as 40 to 45 mph prompted the issuance of a red flag warning this afternoon for weather that could incite fast-moving wildfires. The risk is highest in open areas outside the Beltway and especially toward the mountains.

Already multiple fires have ignited in western Virginia and eastern West Virginia and you can smell the smoke in the air in the Washington region. Smaller brush fires have popped up as close by as western Montgomery and Howard counties.

Very dry relative humidity values in the 15 to 30 percent zone only exacerbate the concern that any fires ignited could rapidly spread. We may have already seen peak winds at this point, but they will stay quite strong into evening before waning overnight.

Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options

Through Tonight: Any clouds of the day dissipate as winds stay quite intense into evening. They'll diminish more notably late night and into dawn. Lows range from the upper 20s to low 30s most spots, which might be mid-30s in the urban cores or near water.

View the current weather at The Washington Post.

The moon and early-spring blooms on Monday. (George Jiang/Flickr) (CGJ/George Jiang)

Tomorrow (Thursday): Just about wall-to-wall sun. We'll need it, as it's chilly for the date. Highs are mainly in the upper 40s and low 50s. It's not as windy, but still rather gusty and dry, so continued fire caution is advised.

See Dan Stillman's forecast through the weekend. And if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Gridlock.

Fire weather: Near and west of the Interstate 81 corridor, today's fire weather threat has materialized. In the Bergton area, along the border of West Virginia and Virginia, a significant wildfire has threatened some structures. Other fires have been reported near Harrisonburg and Luray.

A high wind warning was added to the red flag warnings in that region. Widespread gusts 50 to 60 mph have been observed there, including a gust of 61 mph in Front Royal where sustained winds rose as high as 40 mph. A station around 2,000 feet in Petersburg, eastern West Virginia, even reported a gust of 77 mph earlier this afternoon.

At least half a dozen larger fires and a bunch of smaller ones were burning.The threat for rapid growth continues for several more hours.

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

Want our 5 a.m. forecast delivered to your email in-box? Subscribe here.


This article was downloaded by calibre from https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/03/20/dc-area-forecast-windy-cooler-thursday/


Previous Articles Sections Next