South Florida under red flag warning as winds, low humidity raise fire risk

Now that a cold front has pushed through, South Florida's attention turns to a red flag warning in play on Monday.

The red flag warning is in effect from noon until 8 p.m. in Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties.

See all severe weather alerts here.

What is a red flag warning?

When gusty winds and low humidity are expected, like on Monday, a red flag warning may be issued. This basically means our fire danger is high, with an increased probability of a fire quickly spreading out of control.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) explains that a "red flag warning is issued based on the most hazardous weather associated with the largest 10 percent of fires."

Why is South Florida under a red flag warning?

Relative humidity is forecast to dip as low as 25 percent with wind gusts up to 25 mph or greater.

In Peninsular Florida, these are the conditions that all have to be in place to trigger a red flag warning, according to the FDACS:

• relative humidity below 35 percent 
• wind speed of greater than 15 mph 
• Energy Release Component (Fuel Model G) of 27 or higher

What to do and not do under a red flag warning

The National Weather Service recommends no controlled burns or campfires under these conditions.

Additionally, be mindful of throwing cigarettes or matches out of a moving vehicle, as they may ignite dry grass on the side of the road and become a wildfire.

Future forecast

Winds are forecast to weaken Monday night and Tuesday.

The region will likely see widespread mid-50s, roughly 10 degrees below average for this time of the year.

Temperatures should snap back quickly by Tuesday afternoon and return to normal.