Red Flag Warning Issued for Northeast and North Central Florida Due to Extreme Fire Risk

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has issued a Red Flag Warning for north central and portions of northeast Florida. This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch and is driven by a combination of critically low humidity, strong northwesterly winds, and ongoing extreme drought conditions.

Affected Areas

The warning covers a broad area in Florida, including:

• Baker, Inland Nassau, Union, Bradford, and Gilchrist counties.
• Inland and Coastal Flagler.
• Eastern and Western Clay, Alachua, and Putnam counties.
• Eastern, Western, and Central Marion.
• Western Duval.
• Northern Inland, Southern Inland, Western, and Southeast Coastal St. Johns.

What You Should Do

Residents and officials should prepare for critical fire weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning indicates that these conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. Due to the extreme drought, any ongoing wildfires will be difficult to contain, and newly ignited fires may exhibit erratic behavior and rapid rates of spread.

Expected Conditions

• Winds: Northwest winds between 15 to 20 mph, with gusts reaching up to 30 mph.
• Relative Humidity: Values dropping as low as 25 percent.
• Temperatures: Maximum temperatures reaching up to 55 degrees.
• Fire Behavior: Rapid spread and erratic behavior are expected for any fires.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is in effect from 1:00 PM EST this afternoon until 6:00 PM EST this evening, Monday, February 23, 2026.