Democracy Dies in Darkness

Conditions are ripe for fires in the Northeast this weekend

What to know about flash drought in the region and red flag warnings across New England, the New York area and northern parts of the Mid-Atlantic.

3 min
The Jennings Creek Wildfire burns Wednesday in Greenwood Lake, New York. An extended drought has helped fuel the fire on the New York/New Jersey border. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
By

A flash drought has commenced across the Northeast. That means drought has begun suddenly, and severely, with impacts ramping up quickly and perhaps with relatively little notice. The landscape is parched amid the record-setting dry spell, and that means dangerous conditions for fires to spread.

Red flag warnings and fire weather watches blanket southern New England, the New York City tristate area and northern parts of the Mid-Atlantic. That’s where days of stout wind and plummeting humidity can enable the ignition and spread of wildfires, perhaps into the middle of next week.