Near critical fire weather conditions continued Friday afternoon in the Brainerd lakes area, with windy, dry and warm weather creating ripe conditions for wildfire.
South winds gusted 20 to 30 mph Friday with humidity values dropping to 27 to 35 percent, the National Weather Service reported. These conditions combined with dry grasses and brush would have allowed any fire to spread quickly Friday afternoon into the early evening hours.
The high Friday in Brainerd was expected to reach 73 degrees beneath mostly sunny skies and breezy conditions. Winds gusted as high as 30 mph. Temperatures were already in the low 60s when the first reports of fires came across the police/fire scanner.
The Brainerd lakes area reached a high of 80 degrees Thursday, which set a new record high for the date, breaking a 74-year-old record high, according to temperatures recorded at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport. The National Weather Service records show the record high to this point was 79 degrees recorded on April 14, 1942.
Warm and dry conditions were predicted to persist into Saturday, although there was also a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Chance for rain continues at a slightly higher percentage today and temperatures will cool a bit as the southern wind shifts to coming from the northwest by afternoon. Highs today may top out out at 60 degrees. After a slight chance of showers Monday afternoon, conditions are expected to be dry. For the coming week, highs are expected in the mid- to upper-60s, pushing again toward 70 degrees by Wednesday.
