The National Weather Service has upgraded the Fire Weather Watch issued for Friday to a Red Flag Warning. The warning is in effect from noon until 8 for the listening area.
Thursday the National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch for Friday afternoon through the evening hours due to surface wind gusts of 20-30 mph will be common along with the possibility of 20-foot winds of 10-20 mph. Low relative humidity and critically dry conditions will continue into Friday and any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Burning is strongly discouraged.
Severe to extreme drought conditions continue to persist over portions of the state. Rainfall is expected this weekend which may alleviate the fire danger some. Another shot of dry air is expected through next week with the fire danger likely to continue.
A Fire Weather Watch alerts land managers and the public that upcoming weather conditions could result in an extensive wildland fire occurrence or extreme fire behavior. It means critical fire weather is possible, but not imminent or occurring.
A Red Flag Warning issued by the NWS is in conjunction with land management agencies, to alert people to an ongoing or expected critical fire weather pattern. It means weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. Use extreme caution with open flames.
Baxter and Boone counties have still not issued a burn ban.
Cities of Cotter, Gassville, Briarcliff, Mountain Home and Salesville, along with Fulton, Izard, Stone, Searcy and Newton counties have issued a burn ban.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission shows the areas of the state under a burn ban and the wildfire danger at arkfireinfo.org
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