Central Kentucky is under a Red Flag Warning until 8 p.m. Friday.
Low humidity, warm temperatures and sustained high winds have increased the risk of uncontrolled fires.
Philomon Geertson is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. Geertson said a low humidity system is moving through areas of Kentucky.
“From a line from Lexington to Bowling Green and north and west, those locations did not see as much rainfall and some areas saw really nothing yesterday and overnight. And so they’re coming into this much drier and windier pattern with really no rainfall,” said Geertson.
Sustained winds at 15 miles per hour are expected today and gusts could reach 28 miles per hour. Geertson said any fire could become very difficult to control.
“Any fire that gets into that leaf litter or that ground litter can spread and become quite intense quite rapidly because you have both the dry conditions and then the wind is bringing in that oxygen to help fuel the flames,” said Geertson.
Geertson said while eastern Kentucky saw a bit more rain this week, there are still relatively low humidity levels in some areas. The meteorologist says those conditions are still favorable for fires.
Right now, in Kentucky, it’s illegal to burn anything within 150 feet of woodland or brushland between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. This ban is in effect through December 15th.
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