Virginia’s spring fire season, which starts Feb. 15, could be more dangerous this year because of the relatively mild and dry winter, Gov. Robert F. McDonnell warned Tuesday.
The warning came as the high temperature at Dulles International Airport set a Jan. 31 record of 66 degrees. It was 22 degrees above normal and one degree over the old record, set in 1993.
The high at Reagan National Airport was also 66, but that was five degrees under the record of 71, reached in 1916.
Tuesday was one of the warmest days of a warm month in the Washington area.
At Dulles, the 66 was the month’s highest. At National, it was second only to Jan. 7’s 68.
But it was far from the mildest January in Washington. The average for the month was about 40.7 degrees. But in the past 20 years alone, that figure was exceeded three times and matched once.
The warmest January during that period came in 2006, when the average was 43.1.
In his statement, McDonnell (R) said that wildfires are highly weather-dependent. It is best to burn trash or debris after 4 p.m., when humidity is higher and winds weaker.
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