November 1, 2024 70° Close A harvested cornfield is blackened at a farm on Pilottown Road at Taylor Road in Fulton Township after a fire burned several acres on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.
BLAINE SHAHAN | Staff Photographer Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Lancaster County under red flag warning after month-long dry spell LANCASTERONLINE | Staff Nov 1, 2024 14 mins ago Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email A harvested cornfield is blackened at a farm on Pilottown Road at Taylor Road in Fulton Township after a fire burned several acres on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.
BLAINE SHAHAN | Staff Photographer Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link
Following one of the driest Octobers on record, the National Weather Service in State College issued a red flag warning for central Pennsylvania, including Lancaster County, until 7 p.m. tonight.
A Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or are imminent due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry conditions. Any fires that develop may quickly get out of control and become difficult to contain.
The NWS says there is a high risk of rapidly spreading wildfires and recommends residents do not do any outdoor burning until the warning is lifted.
Winds are moving west at 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph and relative humidity will be as low as 25%. Temperatures are predicted to remain in the upper 70s.
The warning comes after a series of brush and woods fires across the county in an October that only recorded 0.04 inches of rain in Lancaster County, the second driest on record according to the Millersville Weather Information Center.
Lancaster County is in a moderate drought as of last week per the U.S. Drought Monitor, and some neighboring counties like Berks and Chester have entered a severe drought. The Red Flag warning has been issued for 20 counties in south-central PA.
For more information, the National Weather Service suggests visiting the website for Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at dcnr.pa.gov .
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