A ruthless combination of low humidity values (under 25-30%), gusty south winds, and highs in the 80's along with not all areas greening up completely Thursday has prompted the National Weather Service in Gaylord to issue a Fire Weather Watch for Thursday across much of Northern Lower Michigan until 8 p.m.

In this particular set-up, any fires that develop and escape a contained area could rapidly spread and get out of control. Burning is not permitted in most counties today.

The next chance for a touch of rain would be late Thursday night as a cold front arrives. Even then, any stray showers/thunderstorms will be very sporadic.

A cold front will drop temperatures into the 70's for Friday and Saturday before a substantial warm-up Sunday.