Hurricane Ian pushes north winds and low humidity into much of the Southeast

Fire weather outlook Sept. 28, 2022
Fire weather outlook Sept. 28, 2022. NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

The counter-clockwise rotation of winds around Hurricane Ian has brought north winds and low humidity to portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and the panhandle of Florida. The combination of a strong surface high to the north and the strong pressure gradient around the hurricane will drive moderately strong northerly winds across much of the Southeast on Wednesday.

The forecast is for humidity in the teens and 20s with wind gusts of 20 to 35 mph Wednesday afternoon.

Wind forecast for 2 p.m. CDT Sept. 28, 2022
Wind forecast for 2 p.m. CDT Sept. 28, 2022. Windy.com. The colors represent wind speed in knots. See legend at lower-right. 

In the wind forecast above for 2 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Hurricane Ian is predicted to make landfall near Cape Coral, Florida.

The National Weather Service’s Red Flag Warning map was a little more conservative than the Storm Prediction Center’s designations of elevated and critical fire weather.

Red Flag Warnings
Red Flag Warnings at 8:45 a.m. Sept. 28, 2022. NWS.

The Storm Prediction Center’s forecast for Thursday is for elevated fire weather only in southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

Elevated or critical fire danger predicted Tuesday and Wednesday for the Central Gulf Coast vicinity

Updated at 4:21 p.m. CDT Sept, 27, 2022

Wind, noon CDT, Sept. 27, 2022
Wind forecast for noon CDT, Sept. 28, 2022. Windy.com

It turns out that one of the reasons for the elevated fire dangers and the strong north winds in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama is the counter-clockwise rotation around Hurricane Ian. This wind forecast for noon CDT on Wednesday shows the northerly flow in those states which is similar to the winds on Tuesday, but the speeds will be higher Wednesday.

The colors on the map represent wind speed, not precipitation. The legend for wind speed is at bottom-right (in knots).

Updated at 4 p.m. CDT Sept, 27, 2022

Red Flag Warnings, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida fire
Red Flag Warnings, 4 p.m. CDT Sept 27, 2022

The National Weather Service has modified this fire weather forecast repeatedly on Tuesday afternoon for the Central Gulf Coast vicinity, possibly due to complications caused by Hurricane Ian which is headed to the west side of Florida near Tampa.

The map above was current Tuesday at 4 p.m. CDT. There will be some Red Flag Warnings in the area on Wednesday, but we’ll wait until Wednesday morning to post the map, after the forecast settles a bit.

Red Flag Warnings, Sept 27, 2022
Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches, 11:10 a.m. CDT Sept 27, 2022.

Low humidity and strong wind predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Central Gulf Coast vicinity brings elevated fire danger to areas of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

A Red Flag Warning is in effect Tuesday afternoon for southwest Alabama and southeast Mississippi.

Fire weather central MS
Fire weather Sept. 27, 2022 for central MS, northeast LA, and southwest AR.

Weather forecasters expect the relative humidity will be in the low 20s across much of the area or even the high teens near the Gulf Coast. Afternoon wind gusts will be greater than 20 mph.

The forecast for Wednesday is for the critical fire weather to expand further into Alabama, the Florida panhandle, and Georgia.

Fire Weather Outlook, Sept 28, 2022
Fire Weather Outlook, Sept 28, 2022.

Wildfire smoke and red flag warnings for September 9 and 10

Smoke forecast for 2 a.m. MDT Sept. 10, 2022.
Forecast for vertically integrated smoke at 2 a.m. MDT Sept. 10, 2022.

Smoke from wildfires is expected to affect most of the Western United States Friday and Friday night.

Red Flag Warnings for extreme fire danger on Friday are posted for areas of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Red Flag Warnings, Sept. 9, 2022.
Red Flag Warnings, Sept. 9, 2022.

Smoke forecast and Red Flag Warnings, July 31, 2022

Wildfire smoke forecast for 11 p.m. MDT July 31, 2022
Wildfire smoke forecast for 11 p.m. MDT July 31, 2022.

Smoke from wildfires may be noticeable Sunday in northern California and the northwest, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

Red Flag Warnings are in effect Sunday for portions of California, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. The Red Flag Watches on the map are for extreme fire danger on Monday.

Red Flag Warnings, July 31, 2022
Red Flag Warnings, July 31, 2022.

Red Flag Warnings in 9 states, April 9, 2022

Red Flag Warnings, April 9, 2022
Red Flag Warnings, April 9, 2022.

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings in 9 states April 9, 2022.

The map represents the forecasts from multiple National Weather System offices at 7:50 a.m. MT April 9, 2022. The predictions are subject to change throughout the day.

Red Flag warnings in 11 states, April 6, 2022

Red Flag Warnings, April 6, 2022.
Red Flag Warnings, April 6, 2022.

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings in areas of 11 states April 6, 2022 for winds, depending on the location, gusting at 35 to 60 mph and relative humidity in the single digits, teens, or twenties. In addition, most of the Northern Plains is under a High Wind Warning.

Red Flag Warnings, April 6, 2022.
Red Flag Warnings, April 6, 2022. The text in the map shows the various warnings for Southern Nebraska.

Heat and Wind Advisories are in effect for areas near the Southern California coast.

Southern California heat and wind advisories
Southern California heat and wind advisories near the coast, April 6, 2022.  A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area where California, Nevada, and Arizona meet along the Colorado River. NWS.

The maps represent the forecasts from multiple National Weather System offices at 11:50 a.m. CT April 6, 2022. The predictions are subject to change throughout the day.