Wind, dry air increase risk of fire spread

Dry air and increasing winds are expected to create conditions conducive to the spread of wildfires on Long Island, the National Weather Service warned in an alert issued Friday.

The special weather statement, issued just after 10:30 a.m., said the risk will remain through the afternoon and includes the metropolitan area.

"A dry air mass will combine with increasing west winds to create conditions more conducive for fire spread into early afternoon," the statement read.

Those conditions include relative humidity dropping to between 30 and 35 percent and wind gusts increasing to between 20 and 25 mph. "These conditions will likely aid fire growth if ignition occurs," according to the service.

Temperatures during the day are expected to remain in the mid-to-upper 60s, dropping into the 40s overnight, before moving back into the 60s on Saturday. The weather service said showers are expected throughout the day Saturday.