Warm, dry, windy conditions and low humidity prompting a red flag warning for most of Minnesota Monday.
National Weather Service lead forecaster Mike Griesinger says our green-up isn't yet complete, there isn't much rain in the forecast, and conditions are ripe for wildfires.
"Warm temperatures and the increasing daylight will kind of continue to wake things up, so to speak, so we'll green up even without a lot of rain," says Griesinger. "It's just, if we don't start getting some more rain, especially in Western Minnesota, the green won't last very long before things start to to crisp out."
The red flag warning is in effect until 8:00 p.m. for all of the state except the Twin Cities metro and the southeastern corner of Minnesota.
"If you have a fire start, they'll burn quick, they'll burn hot, they'll burn fast, and they can be difficult for firefighters to kind of wrangle and get control of," says Griesninger.
And that is true already in the north metro, where Firefighters are working to put out a grass fire along interstate 94 near Rogers. WCCO-TV Chief Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says this is a pretty common occurrence in Minnesota.
"The reasoning is, is pretty simple, we see this a lot in the spring and the fall, it's because the wind is going to be picking up and gusting over 30 MPH," Shaffer explains. "Especially to the west and up in northern Minnesota. And the air is dry, relative humidity is probably down around 15%, 20% in many counties. And things are still greening up."
As for rain in the forecast, don't count on it. Shaffer says there's only one chance of it this week, a week that is shaping up to be pretty warm too. Temps will be in the 60s and 70s all week with even some 80s coming on Wednesday.
"So Thursday, a cold front's going to come through. That will trigger some rain showers," Shaffer said. "I don't see a severe weather outbreak. I certainly don't see snow this time, and it'll still be warm."
RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MONDAY
* AFFECTED AREA...Much of central and western Minnesota.
* TIMING...Until 8 PM CDT Monday.
* WINDS...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.
*RELATIVE HUMIDITY...15 to 25 percent.
* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
FORECAST:
MONDAY: Partly cloudy. High: 62. SW 10-15 mph.
MONDAY NIGHT: Clear. Low: 44. SW wind 5-10 mph.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny. High: 72. N wind 5-10 mph.
Sunny and 80 on Wednesday. Average high and low….59/39
