Southwest winds elevate fire danger across most of Nevada
The Las Vegas Valley and most of Nevada will face strong winds Monday that will elevate fire danger.
A red flag warning will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday for all of Clark and Lincoln counties, southern Nye County and large portions of northwest Arizona, the National Weather Service says.
🚩 RED FLAG WARNING 🔥🔥
Gusty winds & very dry conditions tomorrow (Monday) will increase the potential for explosive fire growth (if one happens to start).
Hold off on any unnecessary burning until winds calm later in the week – Don't be the Spark 🎇#FireWX #nvwx #azwx pic.twitter.com/B07gvtqPZI
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) May 11, 2020
Southwest winds increasing from 20 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 40 mph and low humidity (5-15 percent) could cause fires to quickly spread in dry conditions. Residents should heed all fire restrictions.
“It’s dry out and now the southwest winds are picking up,” meteorologist Ashley Nickerson said. “We are encouraging people to be safe.”
Lightning strikes, a possibility in Sunday’s red flag warning, do not appear to be a threat Monday.
Monday’s forecast high for Las Vegas is near 93. The overnight low will be around 67. Tuesday will be sunny with a high near 85, slightly below normal. Winds will remain nearly as strong.
Weather disturbance
To the north, “an approaching weather disturbance will bring gusty winds ahead of a cold front to much of Nevada during the day on Monday,” the weather service stated in a special weather statement. “A very dry air mass in place across the region will combine with the gusty winds allowing for elevated fire weather conditions to develop Monday.
“Daytime relative humidity in many valleys across western, central and southern Nevada will range from 7 to 15 percent. Wind gusts of 20-30 mph from the southwest are expected with higher gusts across Humboldt County and southern White Pine County. Gusty winds are expected again Tuesday from the west and northwest as a cold front moves through the state.”
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or 702-863-4285. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
