Wind, fire and flood
Oh my, that air felt good this morning - 72 degrees on the car thermometer at 9:30 a.m. But this early breath of spring is also stirring up warnings of wildfire danger and coastal flooding today.
First, there's the forecast: We're talking a high of 78 degrees this afternoon. Hello ? We haven't seen the 70's at Baltimore-Washington International Airport since Nov. 16, when it was 76 degrees. And we haven't had a 78-degree day since Oct. 6.
The warm air barreling into the Northeast from the Gulf states is rocking small cars and empty trucks. The National Weather Service says we should expect winds of 13 to 21 mph today, with gusts as high as 37 mph. You can watch the top wind speeds at BWI on the strip chart here.
Wind plus low humidity are contributing to increased wildfire hazards. The weather service has issued the following notice:
"...NEAR CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON...
MINIMUM HUMIDITY OF AROUND 30 PERCENT IS EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS
OF THE FIRE WEATHER FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THESE VALUES ARE
NOT QUITE RED FLAG CRITERIA....HOWEVER WITH SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...COMBINED WITH VERY DRY FINE
FUELS...NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SHOULD BE
ANTICIPATED.
"THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS ADVISED
TO RESPECT ALL STATE AND LOCAL BURNING LAWS."
Red Flag warnings are posted for the upper Eastern Shore, Delaware and southern New Jersey.
High winds from the south or southeast are also pushing water up the bay, increasing the risk of coastal flooding. Here's the advisory:
"...MINOR TIDAL FLOODING AT TIMES OF HIGH TIDE THROUGH FRIDAY
AFTERNOON...
"STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CREATE ABNORMALLY HIGH TIDE LEVELS
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. WATER LEVELS OF 1 TO 2 FEET ABOVE
ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTIONS MAY CAUSE MINOR TIDAL FLOODING IN AREAS
THAT ARE PRONE TO PROBLEMS FROM HIGHER THAN NORMAL TIDES.
ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA AND ANNAPOLIS MARYLAND ARE TYPICALLY
SUSCEPTIBLE TO COASTAL FLOODING.
"UPCOMING TIMES FOR HIGH TIDES ARE AS FOLLOWS...
"ANNAPOLIS MARYLAND...2:49 PM FRIDAY
ALEXANDRIA VIRGINIA...4:54 AM AND 5:18 PM FRIDAY
KEY BRIDGE WASHINGTON DC...5:11 AM AND 5:35 PM FRIDAY
FT MCHENRY BALTIMORE...4:27 PM FRIDAY
BOWLEY BAR...5:18 PM FRIDAY"
You can watch the tides rise here.
