Officials with the National Weather Service and Wisconsin DNR issue a Red Flag Warning in much of Wisconsin.
Dry conditions are causing a very high to extreme fire danger in 39 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has set burning restrictions in those areas and is suspending burning permits until conditions improve. A Red Flag Warning is issued when a variety of weather factors come together to create especially dangerous wildland fire conditions.
Officials are asking everyone in the Badger State to use extreme caution during these unusually dangerous conditions. Campfires, outdoor grills, smoking, chain saws, off-road vehicles or other small engines have the potential to throw a spark and ignite a dangerous and destructive fire.
In conjunction with the Wis. Department of Natural Resources, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for today until 8 p.m. for the following counties: Green Lake, Dane, Barron, Polk, St. Croix, Dunn, Chippewa, Pepin, Pierce, Taylor, Rusk, Marathon, Portage, Waushara, Waupaca, Marquette, Columbia, Sauk, Adams, Juneau, Wood, Jackson, Monroe, Vernon, Richland, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, La Crosse, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Burnett, Washburn, Douglas, Sawyer, Clark, Eau Claire and Bayfield.
Forecasters say humidities will be as low as 10-percent today, with winds gusting to 30-miles-an-hour with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The next real chance for rain is on Sunday.