Fire danger and drought worsen<\/p>\n
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 This morning, I\u2019m keeping a close eye on worsening fire danger all across our area. Drought conditions are getting even more severe\u2014what we call \u201cexceptional drought\u201d is now moving farther east. That\u2019s a major concern because it boosts fire risk and could keep the fires burning longer than anyone would like.<\/p>\n
The Weather Authority team has reporters out tracking these fires right now, making sure you have the most up-to-date information. Based on what we\u2019re seeing on the Drought Monitor, most of Jacksonville and surrounding counties are experiencing extreme to exceptional dryness.<\/p>\n
While winds are calm most of today, even a light breeze can make things riskier with all this dry air, so I\u2019m staying focused on those patterns as conditions evolve.<\/p>\n
Chance for weekend rain<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk about some hope on the horizon! There\u2019s a 10 percent chance for a few showers today, then that goes up to 20 percent and could reach 40 percent by Sunday. It\u2019s not a washout by any means, but any rain is a welcome sight these days, even if it\u2019s just a few light showers rolling in by the weekend.<\/p>\n
I have to be honest, though\u2014what little rain we get isn\u2019t expected to change this drought situation. At least our temperatures are comfortable this morning in the upper 50s to low 60s, and the winds are staying pretty mellow, between 5 to 10 mph in most spots.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll keep tracking the rain using Exact Track 4D, and you\u2019ll be the first to know if those chances start trending even higher.<\/p>\n
Air quality alerts issued<\/p>\n
The next thing to watch is air quality\u2014right now, it\u2019s in the orange zone across places like Jacksonville, Orange Park, Clay County, and St. John\u2019s County. That means it\u2019s considered unhealthy for folks who are sensitive to smoke and airborne particles.<\/p>\n
If you or your pets deal with allergies, asthma, or any kind of respiratory condition, today is the day to keep your windows shut and stay inside as much as possible. The smoke advisory is especially serious for anyone near Brantley County, where the fires are at their worst and the particles are thick.<\/p>\n
Winds are expected to pick up and shift later today, so areas affected by smoke and poor air quality could change as we move through the afternoon.<\/p>\n