The fall colors are just starting to change in the metro.

But on the ground, dead leaves and grass are signs that dry weather is still very much with us.

“We’re not seeing any relief in the dry weather,” explains Luigi Romolo, the Minnesota State Climatologist with the Department of Natural Resources. ”We’re coming off one of the driest Septembers on record, that’s combined with one of the warmest Septembers on record.”

He calls what’s happening “enhanced evaporation.”

“So, we’re losing water out of the ground, moisture out of the ground, really, really fast,” Romolo says.

That dryness, and expected windy conditions this weekend, are prompting concerns.

“Coupled with the wind that’s being forecast, the excessive dryness really elevates fire risk to the highest level,” says Michael Warnke, Wildfire Administration supervisor with the DNR. “Coupled with the wind that’s being forecast, the excessive dryness really elevates fire risk to the highest level.”

The DNR is releasing maps that show the scope of potential fire danger.

They show a high level of fire danger in southwest and central Minnesota and very high levels in the northwest section of the state and the Arrowhead region.

Those two designations indicate that fires start easily and spread at a fast or a very fast rate.

“This past week, we’ve already had red flag warnings covering much of the state,” Warnke notes. “If those winds are anything near that, we can expect that same situation for this weekend looking forward.”

Another map shows how the state is banning open burning in the Arrowhead region and in pockets of southern Minnesota — although in those areas, campfires are still allowed.

In the central part of the state, permit-only burning is permitted.

“The risk is more present than it’s ever been,” Marty Mensen, the Regional Vice President of District Operations for Xcel Energy, told 5 INVESTIGATES back in May.

That month, the utility shared information about an energy system called “wildfire safety setting.”

If there are fire threat conditions, the system would shut itself down, if power lines came in contact with trees or other objects — instead of automatically resetting.

The idea is to prevent fires sparked off by those downed lines.

“If anything touches our lines, it will be shut off,” Mensen explained at the time.

In a statement, an Xcel Energy spokesperson says the utility isn’t using the special equipment in the Twin Cities, but might, if necessary, in western Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Meanwhile, the DNR is urging anyone expecting to make a campfire this weekend, to take precautions.

“Embers from those fires, especially in gusty situations like we’re going to have this weekend, can be carried quite a distance away, up to a mile,” Romolo notes.

“Kind of restrict it to just those areas that are maybe designated for that purpose,” Warnke adds. “Where there are shovels or accessories to help extinguish that. Water sources, shovels, that sort of thing.”

You can find out more about the DNR’s fire restrictions HERE.