Fire Weather Watch

Locations Affected

Tampa, FL ∙ Saint Petersburg, FL ∙ Cape Coral, FL ∙ Clearwater, FL ∙ Lakeland, FL ∙ Largo, FL ∙ Fort Myers, FL ∙ Sarasota, FL ∙ North Port, FL ∙ Bradenton, FL

Headline

...CRITICALLY LOW HUMIDITY WITH GUSTY WINDS AND A MODERATE SIGNIFICANT FIRE POTENTIAL WILL RESULT IN AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY...

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 230 AM EDT Mon Apr 20 2026 ...CRITICALLY LOW HUMIDITY WITH GUSTY WINDS AND A MODERATE SIGNIFICANT FIRE POTENTIAL WILL RESULT IN AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY... ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA... The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay Ruskin has issued a Fire Weather Watch, which is in effect Tuesday afternoon. * AFFECTED AREA...Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, DeSoto, Coastal Hernando, Coastal Pasco, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte, Coastal Lee, Inland Hernando, Inland Pasco, Inland Hillsborough, Inland Manatee, Inland Sarasota, Inland Charlotte and Inland Lee. * TIMING...Tuesday afternoon. * WINDS...East 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 30 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.

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