The low humidity and warm weather that's created dangerous fire conditions and prompted fire hazard warnings across a wide swath of the state will persist for another week, forecasters warn.
For about a week, the eastern Interior -- including Fairbanks -- and the Copper River Basin areas have been subject to a near-constant stream of red flag warnings, issued when weather conditions make dangerous wildfires especially likely.
Most of the current red flag warnings are in effect only through Wednesday evening, but Fairbanks-based National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Berg said the warnings will likely last another week.
"It's going to remain very dry for at least another week in the Interior," Berg said.
This season can be dangerous for much of the state. In areas under a warning, the grass is dead, the air is dry and the temperatures are warm -- in some areas reaching into the 70s or 80s. That's a dangerous combination, Berg said.
But Berg doesn't expect those conditions to last through the summer.
"Conditions will change as we get further into green-up," Berg said. "Lawns start to green, the tundra areas start to green, (and) the relative humidity will get higher."
Going into Memorial Day weekend, though, conditions are expected to stay the same, Berg said -- warm and dry. "It probably would not be wise to have open fires," he said.