Red flag warning for eastern Suffolk

A red flag warning is in effect for eastern Suffolk County Tuesday, the National Weather Service citing conditions rife for the spread of brush fires.

Officials said that despite light rain over the weekend, the region "remains very dry."

That, coupled with gusting winds of 20 to 25 mph and low humidity, has created conditions that could allow brush fires or wild grass fires to spread easily, weather service forecaster Peter Wichrowski said.

The most-vulnerable area, Wichrowski said, would be the Pine Barrens. He said conditions likely would continue for much of the week, with no rain expected in the immediate future. The weather service is also advising for caution when dealing with flammable materials in Nassau and western Suffolk, as well as New York City.

Still, the red flag warning only affects eastern Suffolk.

Meanwhile, Long Islanders can expect sunny skies and temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s Tuesday. Overnight temperatures are expected to dip into the low 40s before moving back into the mid-60s on Wednesday.

Temperatures will be slightly cooler later in the week, the weather service said.

Wind gusts could be in the upper 20-mph range Wednesday and in the upper teens Wednesday night before dying down as the week progresses.