Dry and Hot Means Increased Fire Risk

• First Alert Days in place for heat
• Very dry conditions through the weekend
• Heat wave breaks on Wednesday

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - We’ve made it to the end of the week and it’s time to head into this long holiday weekend. After some milder weather this week, temperatures are back on the upswing, reaching into the low 80s today. But I’m sure you’ve already noticed how dry the air is outside today, not even allowing much in terms of clouds to form.

The dry conditions will stay with us and First Alert Days continue to be in place for the upcoming days of 90+ heat which begins tomorrow all the way into Tuesday.  We’re expecting the hottest days to be on Sunday and Monday when we’re expecting mid to upper 90s here in Madison, and possibly near 100 to our west.  Daily max temperature records could be broken on both of those days as well.

What’s Coming Up...

With the heat, dry air, and some breezy conditions in the afternoon, we’re also going to be watching for the risk of fire danger in our area.  The DNR has placed all of our counties in the high-risk category.  Parts of central and northern Wisconsin are at a lesser risk of moderate. Please be mindful if you plan on having any outside fires during this ongoing drought and the additional weather factors for the weekend. Out-of-control fires could spread quickly.

Looking Ahead...

After 4 days of heat, we’ll finally see a break coming on Wednesday when milder air moves and the potential of some showers as well.  For the rest of next week and the following weekend, temperatures will be dropping back to near-normal highs.

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