Dry conditions in western North Dakota and unseasonably warm temperatures could lead to a fire weather watch today.

The National Weather Service office in Bismarck will make that determination early this morning, meteorologist Rich LeBlang said.

"We're starting to green up now - you look around town and wonder why we'd need (a fire weather watch),"LeBlang said. "But last year's grass is still out there, all dried up in the pastures. There's a lot of combustible fuel left over from last year."

Temperatures today are expected to reach the mid-80s, and it could hit 80 degrees again Sunday. The heat, combined with high winds and low humidity, could pose a high risk of fire danger. Meteorologists will monitor conditions and decide whether to issue a warning at about 4 this morning.

Ashley Krause, the extension agent in Golden Valley County, agreed that there's plenty of grass that could burn in her area.

"It's actually still pretty wet here - there's good soil moisture," Krause said. "But there's a lot of dry grass on top that could be a fire hazard."

Winds today will likely blow at 15-20 mph, the weather service said. The high today should be about 84 degrees, which would be 20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year. The record high temperature for April 28 is 92 degrees, set in 1952.

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@;bismarcktribune.com.)