MICHIGAN, USA — Wednesday will be more of a summer feel, rather than anything spring-like around West Michigan. It does come at a cost, however, with an elevated to critical fire risk in place.
Combination of warm temperatures, gusty winds and low humidity levels expected Wednesday will lead to this fire risk. Several days of no precipitation has dried out much of the vegetation, as well.
A Fire Weather Warning (also referred to as a Red Flag Warning) will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m. across West Michigan.
Here are some tips with the fire risk:
- Outdoor burning is NOT recommended
- Never leave any fire unattended/uncontained
- Proper disposal of smoking materials
- Use campfires and grills responsibly
- Avoid chainsaw use
- Don’t park vehicles/ATVs in tall grass
Temperatures will climb into the upper 70s to near 80° in most locations Wednesday, well above average for April standards. The exception will be immediately along Lake Michigan.
Southwest winds will become gusty by afternoon, exceeding 30 mph. This will be plenty to cause any uncontained fire to spread rapidly.
Check with the Department of Natural Resources for specific burn permits/regulations in your county.
Despite all the recent rainfall the past few weeks, it doesn’t take long to dry out enough for the fire risk to be on the rise. In 2018, the county saw a 105-acre wildfire in the City of Newaygo. Conditions for that fire were similar to what the area is seeing now.
The fire risk will lessen Thursday into Friday as winds will slightly diminish, but responsible fire use will remain the rest of the week.
As always, watch the 13 ON YOUR SIDE team of meteorologists for the very latest on weather conditions and how it will affect your spring cleanup plans.
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