National Weather Service officials issued a red flag warning in effect Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for portions of northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
Officials said southwest winds at 15 to 20 mph combined with low relative humidity and warm temperatures favor rapid spread of wildfires.
The warning is for portions of these Illinois counties: Ogle, Lake, Lee, Newton, DeKalb, Jasper, Kane, Cook, LaSalle, Benton, Kendall, Grundy, Will, Kankakee, Livingston, Iroquois and Ford. In Indiana: Lake, Porter, Winnebago, Boone and McHenry counties.
Officials said a red flag warning means critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. Temperatures were expected to reach 80 degrees with gusts up to 35 mph.
Current conditions at Midway Airport were partly cloudy at 68 degrees, and at O’Hare International Airport it was the same at 67 degrees.
