The National Weather Service said this afternoon humidity is higher and wind speeds lower than Red Flag Warning criteria.
Brush fires are keeping crews busy across the Lehigh Valley as wind gusts neared speeds considered for a National Weather Service warning against open burning, authorities said.
No Red Flag Warning was in place for today because winds -- forecast about 15 mph in the Lehigh Valley -- did not reach the 20-mph threshold and because relative humidity was above 20 percent, weather service meteorologist Mitchell Gaines said this afternoon.
The U.S. Forest Service today reported a moderate fire danger in much of eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey, with pockets of high danger in the far-northern portions of both regions and across southern New Jersey.
One of the more significant fires locally was reported about 2 p.m. at Green Shadow Tree Service, 2465 Alpine Drive, Lower Saucon Township, according to a Northampton County 911 dispatcher. A representative of the business did not immediately return a call for comment on the fire.Crews were still on scene about 3:45 p.m., the dispatcher said, after emergency broadcasts indicated a controlled burn got out of control. One broadcast indicated the fire had moved into a swampy, high-grass area and that flames were beginning to threaten a structure.
Other brush-fire calls came in about 2:30 p.m. in the 5300 block of Old Mile Hill Road, North Whitehall Township, about 2:40 p.m. in the 2300 block of Wassergass Road, Lower Saucon Township and about 2:50 p.m. in the 3100 block of West Beersville Road, Moore Township.
Winds are forecast to die down tonight into the work week, Gaines said.