Red Flag Warning, Fire Weather Watch Issued For Tampa Bay Area

TAMPA, FL — The National Weather Service in Ruskin has issued a red flag warning for most of the Tampa Bay area Wednesday with a fire weather watch set to go into effect on Thursday. Continued dry conditions, hot temperatures and relatively low humidity levels are combining to create a recipe for potential disaster, the agency warns.

Wednesday’s red flag warning includes Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Sarasota, Hernando and Manatee counties. Forecasters say with no rain in sight and low relative humidity values, the region is ripe for wildfire activity. Wednesday’s high temperature is expected to soar into the low to mid-90s.

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With similar conditions likely on Thursday, forecasters have put a fire weather watch warning into place. A watch means that "critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur." Thursday’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high once again soaring into the 90s. Slightly cooler temperatures are anticipated on Friday.

Rain does move back into the forecast on Saturday, but chances are slight. An anticipated weak cool front, however, is expected to bring temperatures back down into the upper 80s in much of the region.

The weather service’s warnings for Wednesday and Thursday come as the Florida Forest Service reports 121 active wildfires burning across the state on lands under its jurisdiction. The total affected area is estimated to span some 30,883 acres. Twenty-six of the wildfires are deemed major, meaning they span 100 acres or more. Pasco County’s Anclote Branch fire, which cover 2,275 acres in the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, is one of the 26. That fire was considered 70 percent contained as of Tuesday and has forced the closing of the park through Sunday at least.

The Florida Forest Service says 320 of the wildfires sparked since 2017 began have been traced to arson.

To view the locations of the active wildfires, check out the graphic below:

With Florida experiencing the worst wildfire season in recent history, according to state officials, burn bans remain in place in many counties. To see where outdoor burning is off limits, check out the graphic below:

For more information about wildfires, visit the Florida Forest Service online.

Photo courtesy of Pasco County