Even though much of the area has received decent amounts of precipitation in the past couple of weeks, very dry air combined with windy conditions and above-average temperatures will bring a return to critical fire weather beginning Friday, May 5.

High temperatures on Friday will soar into the 70s and 80s in many areas with humidity values dropping into the single digits through the afternoon.

Winds will increase from late morning and into the afternoon with some gusts beyond 40 mph and potentially even 50 mph. With all the ingredients in place for high fire danger, a Red Flag Warning will be in effect Friday from noon through 10 p.m.

On Saturday, we’ll see similar conditions of very low humidity, gusty winds, and well-above-average temperatures. With fire danger remaining critically high again Saturday, a Fire Weather Watch has been issued from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. As we’ve said many times so far this year, please try to avoid any activity that could potentially spark a fire.