April 19, 2016
Every New Jersey county from north to south, as well as the suburban Pennsylvania counties ringing Philadelphia and New Castle County in Delaware, are under a fire watch Tuesday, a result of warm weather, low humidity and gusty winds.
The Red Flag Warning by the National Weather Service begins at noon and lasts until 8 p.m.
Humidity levels are forecast as low as 25 percent, and wind gusts as strong as 30 mph are possible.
Temperatures Sunday and Monday were in the upper 70s to about 80 degrees, drying out the forest floor. Tuesday's temperatures in the region are expected to range from the mid-60s to mid-70s.
Not only can fires start easily with these conditions, but they spread quickly in dry and gusty weather.
A wildfire that started Monday in Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens has burned about 100 acres. Another is reported in effect in Kearny, located in Hudson County in North Jersey.
That smoke seen in North Jersey right now is a large brush fire in Kearny area near Harrison Avenue.
— Kurt Siegelin (@kurtsiegelin) April 19, 2016
