Fire watch and Fire warning

Fire Weather Watch and Fire Weather Warning statement as of 3:16 PM EDT on April 15, 2016

Red flag warning remains in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening

for critical fire weather conditions for southeast New Hampshire

and the coastal plain of Maine.

Fire Weather Watch in effect from Saturday morning through

Saturday afternoon for critical fire weather conditions for

southeast New Hampshire and the coastal plain of western Maine.

The National Weather Service in gray has issued a Fire Weather

Watch for critical fire weather conditions... which is in effect

from Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon.

* Affected area... fire weather zone 006 southern Carroll... fire

 weather zone 008 Merrimack... fire weather zone 009 Belknap...

 fire weather zone 010 Strafford... fire weather zone 012

 eastern Hillsborough... fire weather zone 013 interior

 Rockingham... fire weather zone 014 coastal Rockingham... fire

 weather zone 015 western and central Hillsborough... fire

 weather zone 018 interior York... fire weather zone 019

 interior Cumberland... fire weather zone 020 Androscoggin...

 fire weather zone 021 Kennebec... fire weather zone 022

 interior Waldo... fire weather zone 023 coastal York... fire

 weather zone 024 coastal Cumberland... fire weather zone 025

 Sagadahoc... fire weather zone 026 Lincoln... fire weather zone

 027 Knox and fire weather zone 028 coastal Waldo.

* Winds... northeast 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph today. On

Saturday northeast winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 20 mph.

* Timing... through early evening and again Saturday morning into Saturday

afternoon.

* Relative humidity... below 20 percent.

* Temperatures... in the 50s to low 60s.

* Lightning... none.

* Impacts... fires which develop could spread rapidly and

 uncontrollably.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions

are either occurring now... or will shortly. A combination of

winds... low relative humidity... and warm temperatures will create

explosive fire growth potential.