On the back of another heatwave, and despite the national weather forecaster’s issuing a status orange thunderstorm warning for yesterday and today, the Department of Agriculture has released an orange forest fire warning which is in effect until noon tomorrow (Tuesday).
The effective period of the high fire risk warning expires at noon on 16 August, 2022. A consequence of current weather patterns, a high fire risk is deemed to exist in all areas where hazardous fuels such as dead grasses and shrub fuels like heather and gorse grow.
A high-pressure system currently positioned over Ireland influenced high air temperatures, low daytime humidity and light wind speeds last week and into the weekend.
Recent similar hot weather phases have seen fire activity associated with public recreation activities. Members of the public intending to visit forests and other recreational sites are reminded to adhere to regulations regarding fire use. Forest visitors should not use barbeques or open fires at any stage. Vehicles must not be parked at site entrances or impede emergency service access to forest roads.
Fire behaviour will be moderated by live fuel availability, however live fuel moisture levels in key fuels may degrade over time.