Very dry conditions Tuesday and Wednesday have forced a fire watch for most of south-central Alabama.

Dry air has moved into Dallas and surrounding counties behind a cold front, causing critical fire weather conditions through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

A fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur.

The watch will remain in effect through Wednesday afternoon.

Windy conditions Tuesday, which included gusts up to 25 miles per hour, are expected to be lighter Wednesday. However, relative humidity will drop as low as 18 percent, according to the weather service. The low Wednesday morning is predicted to be 23F in Selma.

Outdoor burning is not recommended due to the dry air and windy conditions.

Other counties in the watch include Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Pike, Russell and Tallapoosa.