Dozens of counties across Central and South Florida were on alert for fire weather conditions on Thursday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warning that a combination of strong winds and low relative humidity could contribute to extreme fire behavior in the Sunshine State.

Why It Matters

A red flag warning is issued by the NWS to notify local fire officials of potentially hazardous weather conditions expected within the next 12 to 24 hours. Wildfires have hit California and the Carolinas so far this year.

What To Know

As of Thursday morning, red flag warnings had been issued across central and east central Florida. The map below shows where Red flag warnings and fire weather watches were in place in Florida from Thursday morning.

Counties included:

• Brevard
• Charlotte
• DeSoto
• Flagler
• Hardee
• Highlands
• Indian River
• Lake
• Lee
• Levy
• Marion
• Martin
• Okeechobee
• Orange
• Osceola
• Polk
• Putnam
• Seminole
• St. Lucie
• Sumter
• Volusia

Winds near 20 mph were expected, gusting to around 30 mph, along with relative humidity between 25 and 35 percent, according to the NWS.

“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” it warned.

Meanwhile, there were fire weather watches in place across South Florida.

These included Broward, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach Counties.

Here, the service said drought conditions combined with low relative humidity values would lead to “increased fire weather concerns.”

Residents in affected areas were urged to avoid any outdoor burning.

The NWS issues fire weather watches up to 72 hours before the conditions are expected to occur, while a red flag warning “is issued when the conditions are expected to occur within the next 24 hours.”

What People Are Saying

The NWS red flag warnings stated: “A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now … or will shortly. A combination of strong winds … low relative humidity … and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.”

NWS Jacksonville said on X: “Despite a little rain yesterday, drought conditions will combine with low humidity and gusty winds, creating optimal conditions for rapid wildfire spread across central FL today.”

Meteorologist Brooke Silverang said on X, Wednesday: “All of Florida’s East Coast is under a Fire Weather Watch on Thursday. Fires can spread easily.”

What Happens Next

At the time of writing, the latest red flag warnings were in place until 6 p.m. The NWS said the fire weather watch for South Florida was in effect through Thursday evening.