JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Our incredibly dry conditions and the low relative humidity has enhance the fire danger locally. Fires that develop during this time will have a very high potential to spread under these conditions.
Our minimum relative humidity is in the 15-25% range currently. Relative humidity is the measure of the amount of moisture present in the air, it is calculated as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation of moisture of the air at that temperature. Because relative humidity depends on and can vary greatly due to the temperature of the air- its even more important to note how low the levels of moisture are in our area currently, since our temperatures are so cold, the air has a much smaller total capacity to hold water, so the low percentages of moisture present are even stronger of an indication of the parched air. Relative humidity is important to fire danger because the dead leaves and branches lying on the ground especially in forest areas are more moist when the relative humidity is normal or high, but dry out when the relative humidity is low. As a result, a low relative humidity makes for perfect fuel for forest fires by drying all of the ground debris out.
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Winds will be out of the North and Northwest between 5 and 10 mph. Winds plays an important part in fire danger simply because it can steer a fire or enhance its growth potential. Particularly strong, gusty, or winds that change direction are considered dangerous. Our winds will be relatively light and consistent, making for moderate to low risk conditions due to wind.
There are some burn bans in place, please refer to your local burn permitting authorities to ensure it is approved in your area before starting an outdoor fire. If you do start an outdoor fire, please use extreme caution.
There are no significant chances for rain in the 7-Day forecast, and dry conditions are expected to continue. The Fire Danger may remain elevated through the week. November, December & January are typically our driest stretch of months and often the dry weather during this time contributes to our Spring fire danger.