Much of the Northeast is facing its most significant October wildfire threat in years as a cold front pushing off the coast is expected to leave dry and breezy conditions in its wake this weekend amid a near record-dry stretch, prompting one state to declare an emergency.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has highlighted much of the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C. to Boston at an increased risk of wildfires. In addition, Fire Weather Warnings now cover 35 million people across all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, the New York City metro area and Long Island through Saturday evening.
In many communities, wind gusts are expected to reach 25-35 mph, and with the combination of dry vegetation and fallen leaves, fires could grow rapidly out of control.
Large areas of the Northeast haven’t seen significant rainfall in about a month, leading October to be one of the driest periods on record. Philadelphia is set to break its 150-year-old record for the longest dry stretch of 29 days on Monday, and this October could be the city’s first to go without measurable rain.…