A critical wildfire warning has been issued for NYC, forecasters say

NEW YORK CITY — A red flag warning is in effect for New York City until 6 p.m. Tuesday as fast winds and dry conditions increase the risk of wildfires, the National Weather Service said.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are expected or occurring and a combination of low humidity, high winds, and dry grass and leaves will significantly increase the potential for fire growth.

According to Accuweather, temperatures on Tuesday will reach a high of 55 degrees and a low of 36 degrees – more typical for this time of year – after a historically warm Halloween.

Paired with gusty winds from the northwest at 10 to 17 miles per hour, this will make it even cooler outside.

Over the weekend, two wildfires occurred in Prospect Park during an advisory, first on Friday evening and then again on Saturday, affecting dry leaves, grass and trees.

Even though it rained a quarter of an inch in New York City on Sunday night, it wasn't enough to end the drought, National Weather Service meteorologist David Stark told Patch.

This week, the city has a 20 percent chance of rain on Thursday, but the rest of the week and weekend are forecast to be dry, he said.

The New York office of the National Weather Service released a statement on Tuesday about the red flag warning, saying: “Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged. Be sure to properly extinguish or dispose of all potential ignition sources, including smoking materials such as cigarette butts.”

The Red Flag Warning also applies to the Hudson Valley, Long Island, southwestern Connecticut and northeastern New Jersey, where an unprecedented wildfire is raging.

Drought monitoring continues

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officially declared a drought warning for 15 New York counties, including New York City, on November 2nd due to declining groundwater levels, which is still in effect on November 11th.

Making matters worse, the city is repairing a leaky aqueduct that carries water into the city from the Catskills, leaving residents more reliant than usual on reservoirs in the city's suburbs.

A warning is the first of four levels of drought warnings – they escalate in severity from a drought warning to a drought warning, a drought emergency and finally a drought disaster.

There are no mandatory restrictions on drought monitoring, but people are encouraged to voluntarily reduce their water use by repairing working toilets, reporting leaking fire hydrants and sweeping sidewalks instead of hosing them down, DEC officials said.

State and city government agencies are now making plans to conserve water and are encouraging New Yorkers to do their part, Mayor Eric Adams said.

“Mother Nature is in charge and that is why we must prepare for the lack of water and rain we have received,” Adams said in an Instagram video when the drought warning was first announced.

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