Red Flag Warning for Weather in New York, Long Island – NBC New York

After light rain on Sunday evening, there is once again an extreme fire risk in the border triangle on Tuesday.

A red flag warning is in effect for the New York City metropolitan area, the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Connecticut and Long Island. Elsewhere, the risk of fire remains very high. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood.

Unfortunately, there is no significant rain in sight in the coming weeks to ease our ongoing drought.

The current rainfall deficit this fall is almost 20 cm in most areas. It will take a lot more rain than the one or two tenths of an inch most places experienced Sunday night to get back to normal.

As drought increases, forest fires inevitably occur. We will have a combination of low relative humidity and gusty winds on Tuesday and possibly later in the week. It’s all a recipe for fires to start easily and spread quickly.

Note that winds will be from the northwest, so inland fires in northern New Jersey will blow smoke across the New York City metropolitan area and Jersey Shore. Don’t be surprised if you smell smoke from time to time this week as current fires burn and new ones flare up.

To prevent fires from starting, do not burn anything outdoors. Dispose of cigarette butts safely. Do not park your car on land with dry brush. Do not use tools that can generate sparks outdoors.

In our current environment, it doesn’t take much to start a fire.