Dry air and stiff winds have spurred the National Weather Service forecast office in Mt. Holly, N.J. to issue "red flag warnings" for northeastern Maryland and Delaware. That means conditions are ripe for the spread of brush fires. The warnings extend well beyond the Eastern Shore, north into New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.  So if you're in that area - or anywhere else for that matter - be careful with outdoor fires, and snuff your cigarettes in the ashtray. Here's our official forecast, from Sterling.

Ever wonder why much of Maryland's Eastern Shore gets its weather forecasts from a forecast office in New Jersey? Me too. It turns out that Maryland - one of the nation's smallest states - was carved up and parceled out to no fewer than four regional weather forecast offices, all located in other states. Here in Central Maryland, we're covered from the Sterling, Va. office. Garrett County, in far Western Maryland, gets its forecasts from the Pittsburgh office. Northeastern Maryland is handled from Mt. Holly, N.J.  And the Southern Shore, including Ocean City, is covered by forecasters in Wakefield, Va., west of Norfolk.

Go figure.