Hurricane Erin shuts down rainy weather pattern across Florida, increasing wildfire dangers

MIAMI – Even though Hurricane Erin remained safely off Florida’s east coast, the hurricane’s path produced significant consequences on land in the form of dry, windy weather, leading to increased dangers of wildfires.

With the cyclone tracking between 400 and 600 miles offshore, the intrusion of drier air on its western flank helped fuel worsening drought conditions across much of the state, setting the stage for rapidly spreading blazes.

The largest blazes are burning west and northwest of Miami , where officials report that a brush fire has already scorched roughly 20,000 acres.

Dozens of other fires are flaring throughout the state, and forecasters warn that with low humidity and windy conditions, wildfires could quickly flare up and burn out of control.

Persistent northwesterly win