Seeing a red flag warning in your weather app? Here's what to do
Spring is here, bringing with it warmer weather and, in many parts of the U.S., red flag warnings.
People in states from Minnesota to Maryland to Massachusetts saw those alerts on their weather apps this week. The notices warn of an increased risk of wildfires due to a combination of warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issues the warnings in conjunction with local and state agencies, explains NWS spokesperson and meteorologist John Moore.
"That means that the right amount of conditions are out there for the start of spread of wildfires," Moore says. "It also means critical fire weather conditions are occurring now or will be shortly ... So we tell people to exercise extreme caution if you're burning ... or doing anything with fire outside."
Though, he adds, it's important to practice good fire safety habits all the time, since wildfires
