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Elevated Fire Risk Wednesday

By Katie Fehlinger

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As a frontal boundary retreats and high pressure regains control, we end up with another bright and sunny day! But you'll notice a few side effects, namely the temperature and especially the wind.

Let's start with the latter. A persistent northwesterly flow means blustery conditions not just Wednesday, but also Thursday. With gusts expected to peak as high as 35 to 40 mph and the combined drop in humidity, the risk of brush and wildfire spread becomes enhanced.

Red Flag Warnings are in effect most of Wednesday. In other words, you'll want to be extra cautious with any open flame. Cigarette butts need to go in the proper receptacles, and you may want to forgo the outdoor grilling.

Meanwhile, cooler air has taken over! Wednesday's temperatures just barely hit 60 degrees, just a few degrees shy of seasonable. We'll see a rebound of about five degrees with each passing day through the rest of the work week. So you don't have to do the math in your heads, that means we warm up to 70 degrees by Friday.

There's always a trade off, and ours comes in the form of a new approaching frontal boundary set to trigger a new round of showers (perhaps a thunderstorm) as early as Friday afternoon.

Katie

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