The combination of dry ground conditions, low humidity and gusty winds will increase the threat of fire danger today. That means any fires, or even sparks, will spread quite rapidly. Wind speeds will decrease tonight and Sunday, decreasing the fire threat.
November continues to be a very dry month. Richmond International Airport has not even picked up a quarter-inch of rain yet. A storm system will bring our last chance of rain for the month on Tuesday. If the rain does not tick the rain gauge up a decent amount, this November will be one of the five driest on record. If rainfall on Tuesday is meager, November 2012 may end up being the second driest on record in Richmond.
Rainfall for November is almost 2.5″ inches below normal, and around 6″ below normal for the year. Some areas southwest of Richmond have been even drier.