The heightened risk of wildfire spread continued on Monday as parts of the Northeast battled with fires, winds and dryness, but much-needed rain could bring some respite later this week. .
Parts of upstate New York and the Big Apple, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts were at increased risk for wildfires to spread Monday due to northwesterly winds, lowest relative humidity and dry conditions.
The town of Warwick and Wa Ta Wa Park in Lake Greenwood, New York, underwent voluntary evacuations over the weekend as firefighters tackled the Jennings Creek wildfire and were able to save at least 165 homes. These evacuations are continuing and Orange County’s state of emergency has been extended.
Those evacuated were encouraged to take shelter at Greenwood Lake Middle School, which was closed Monday.
In New York State, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Columbia, Ulster and Dutchess counties are at risk.
“A combination of prolonged dry weather, west to northwest winds of 16 to 15 mph with gusts of 20 to 25 mph, relative humidity of 35 to 50 percent, and dry fuels is driving much of eastern New Jersey today. “It will increase the risk of fire spread in York, including the eastern Catskills, Capital District, mid-Hudson Valley, and Taconic Range,” the National Weather Service office in Albany said Monday. Ta.
Similar risks exist in New York City, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties, as well as New Jersey’s Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, Essex, and Union counties.
In Connecticut, Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, and New London are at high risk for wildfire spread, and Litchfield is at risk of increased fire weather concerns.
Dry weather continued Monday in Massachusetts, including the Boston and Cambridge areas, due to continued dry weather, northwesterly winds with gusts up to 25 mph in the western part of the state, and lowest relative humidity levels. Fire concerns are increasing in many counties. Combine with dry fallen leaves.
Burning is strongly discouraged in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
New York state’s open burning ban is in effect until November 30th, and prohibits starting outdoor fires to clear brush and debris, as well as campfires without fire protection and open flames for cooking. .
Forecasters said: “Please be especially careful when handling machinery, matches or other potential sources of ignition, and make sure to properly extinguish or dispose of cigarette butts.”
Overall, winds on Monday will be much weaker than over the weekend.
More than half of the Northeast is in moderate drought conditions, and a red flag warning was issued on Saturday indicating an increased risk of fire due to warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds, affecting more than 40 million people. These risks arise because of the
Localized wildfires occurred in these states.
The Jennings Creek wildfire in Orange County, New York, has burned more than 5,300 acres and was 88% contained as of Sunday evening, New York State Park Police said. Wildfires are occurring primarily in Sterling Forest State Park.
The fire also burned more than 2,280 acres in Passaic County, New Jersey, and is 90% contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Department said in an update Friday.
On Sunday, the New York City Fire Department announced the creation of its first brush fire task force in response to an increase in “historic” brush fires around the city. The department said it responded to 271 wildfires across the city during the first two weeks of November.
The National Weather Service said in a national weather alert Monday that high pressure in the east will keep calm and dry conditions through Tuesday, but rain is possible in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Wednesday. Up to a half inch of rain is possible in the Northeast Thursday into Friday.
About 58% of the Northeast is in moderate or worse drought, the highest drought level in the region since September 2002, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued a drought warning last week as the state experienced its driest conditions in nearly 120 years, prompting an increase in wildfires. At the time, Murphy said the New Jersey State Forest Fire Department had responded to 537 fires burning thousands of acres since early October, 500 more than during the same period last year.
