I've been talking about our very high fire danger the past couple weeks in southwest Florida and today we've seen many brush fires across the area. Fires have closed down parts of SR 82, SR 29, and even parts of Alligator Alley. Several thousand acres have burned in parts of Lee and Collier county today. So why the sudden increase in brush fires? The increase is a result of yet another breezy day and continued low humidity below 40% in many areas.
Fire danger today is in the very high category for much of southwest Florida. In fact, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier counties. The rest of the area is under a high fire danger. East wind 15 to 20 mph gusting to around 30 mph were seen in the area today.
Fire danger continues to be very high in Lee county, high in Charlotte county, and moderate for the rest of the area Thursday. Breezy conditions continue Thursday and Friday which doesn't help our fire danger as we head into the weekend. Relative humidity will be low again Thursday with an increase in humidity and moisture Friday and Saturday.
Moisture from the south is expected to move into the area Friday andc provide some relief to our high fire danger and severe drought condition. A low pressure center is forecast to develop off the east coast of Florida this weekend and move northeast into the Atlantic. As it moves away from Florida it will pull moisture with it so rain chances heading into Sunday will be lower than Friday and Saturday.
Drier conditions return next week although the breeze subsides which will help our fire danger. We are not in the clear yet as rainy season is a few weeks away. Stay tuned to Fox 4 on air and online to provide you with the latest updates you need to know.