Much of eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota is currently under a red flag warning.
Austin Perroux is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Forks.
"We've had this dry air mass the last few days, that's been fueling our warm temperatures. We had a few 80s yesterday."
Perroux says the dry air mass has contributed to falling humidity levels. Gusty winds developing later this afternoon will only worsen the dry conditions, and lead to fire danger. Perroux says winds will reach speeds of up to 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of up to 35 to 40 mph. He says some showers may develop along the front line of the air mass, but will form at higher elevations and evaporate before hitting the ground. He says that may create stronger, isolated wind gusts of up to 40 to 50 mph.
Perroux says during red flag warnings, residents should avoid any activities that could spark fires.
"The main thing to be mindful of is, try to limit activities that may cause sparks or anything that could start a fire - so, outdoor burning tends to - just check your burning restrictions with your county making sure everything you're doing is within safe reason. And obviously, be mindful of, if you see any smoke that does develop, don't be afraid to call out to local sheriff offices to give them a heads up, because potentially, they may not be aware of any fires that may have started. That can go a long way in preventing small fires becoming larger fires."
Perroux says the rest of this week is trending warmer and drier, which could lead to another red flag warning on Thursday.