Weather Tidbits: Fire Weather Alerts

Fire weather alerts take over in this Weather Tidbits. The National Weather Service issues 2 types of fire weather alerts, a fire weather watch and a red flag warning. A fire weather watch is issued 12 to 48 ahead of the conditions where development of a red flag event is possible. It needs to meet all 3 criteria which are the same in both Maryland and Delaware: sustained winds at or greater than 20 mph, relative humidity less than 30%, and ten hour fuels less than 8% (that last one involves fuel moisture). A red flag warning is issued when all 3 of those conditions are ongoing or impendng and within 12 hours of the event, however if confidence is high, it will be issued up to 24 hours before.