Central Virginia faces heightened fire risk on Sunday

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Central Virginians should not light fires outdoors on Sunday, as the region is under a fire weather watch.

From morning until late afternoon on Sunday, Nov. 16, all of Central Virginia will be under a fire weather watch. This includes the following localities:

• Albemarle County
• Amelia County
• Brunswick County
• Buckingham County
• Caroline County
• Charles City County
• City of Charlottesville
• Cumberland County
• Chesterfield County
• City of Colonial Heights
• Dinwiddie County
• City of Emporia
• Essex County
• Fluvanna County
• Goochland County
• Greene County
• Greensville County
• Hanover County
• Henrico County
• City of Hopewell
• King William County
• King and Queen County
• Lancaster County
• Louisa County
• Lunenburg County
• Madison County
• Mecklenburg County
• Middlesex County
• New Kent County
• Northumberland County
• Nottoway County
• Orange County
• City of Petersburg
• Powhatan County
• Prince Edward County
• Prince George County
• City of Richmond
• Richmond County
• Sussex County

A fire weather watch means that weather conditions in the impacted areas are very favorable to fire. Forecasted strong winds and low humidity mean fires are more likely to spread -- and quickly. During this time, outdoor burning is highly discouraged.

Notably, the fall fire season in Virginia is from Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, this is one of two times of year when wildfires are most likely to occur.

For the most up-to-date weather alerts, click here or visit our StormTracker8 weather page.