Red Flag Warning

Be careful out there today if you're working or playing with anything that's flammable. And be especially careful with cigarette butts. This just came in from the National Weather Service office out of Romeoville, IL:

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHICAGO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING.
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL GUST TO 20 MPH OR MORE THIS AFTERNOON. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL BE 20 TO 30 PERCENT. THE WIND AND THE LOW HUMIDITY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON. LACK OF RAIN AND LOW HUMIDITY HAS CREATED VERY DRY CONDITIONS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.