Fire weather warning issued for Southern Utah, northern Arizona; campfire advisory in effect

Stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City has issued a red flag warning for wind and low relative humidity for parts of Washington County below 4,000 feet in elevation, as well as portions of northern Arizona.

Shaded areas are subject to a red flag warning for critical fire conditions in parts of Washington County below 4,000 feet Thursday, May 25, 2017 | Image courtesy of National Weather Service, St. George News | Click on image to enlarge

The warning will be in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday and is projected to include gusty winds and low relative humidity.

Affected area

Fire Weather Zone 497 Mohave Desert below 4,000 feet, as well as the entirety of Kaibab and Coconino national forests and much of Coconino and Apache counties in Arizona.

Visitors to the Kaibab and Coconino national forests are advised to refrain from having a campfire when red flag warning conditions exist. This advisory covers all campfires across the affected area, including in developed campgrounds.


Read more: Wildfires: How you can stop them before they start


Wind

Winds will be from the west-southwest 15-25 mph with gusts 30-35 mph.

Humidity

Relative humidity is expected to be 4-8 percent.

Impacts

Gusty winds and low relative humidity will combine to cause critical fire weather conditions, especially on southwest and south aspects where fuels are most critical.

Precautionary/preparedness actions

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

The campfire advisory remains in effect until the red flag warning ends.

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