Light rain overnight through Monday reduced Long Island’s fire danger, but high winds and drier conditions next week could increase wildfire risk again.

Long Island is currently in a moderate drought state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and dry conditions across the state have increased the danger of brush fires starting and spreading.

Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, Long Island, has recorded just 0.43 inches of rain since Sept. 1, including nearly a quarter-inch of rain Sunday night. That’s more than eight inches below the normal level of 8.66 inches, according to the National Weather Service. October was the driest month on record since 1963, with only 0.12 inches of rain.

New York State has been at high fire danger since mid-October, said Ranger Capt. Scott Jackson, who manages wildfire protection for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The DEC on Monday downgraded the risk to a moderate fire danger in the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island.

“Looking at the extended forecast, we anticipate a return to high fire danger and dry conditions until we get more rain,” Jackson said. “It looks like it’s going to continue to dry out. We encourage everyone to avoid starting fires, make sure they’re there and comply with local burn bans immediately.”

Jackson said there are 15 active wildfires across the state, totaling more than 2,000 acres. The largest fire burning outside the state is the 1,800-acre Jennings Creek Fire in Orange County and New Jersey.

Locally, close to a dozen small brush fires have been reported in the past week, including in Riverhead and the Massapequa Preserve.

New York firefighters have battled 60 fires since October 1 that have burned 2,750 acres. Jackson said there have been 112 fires since the beginning of the year, burning more than 200,000 acres.

“This isn’t completely unprecedented, but it’s certainly been a long time since we’ve had a fall fire season like this,” Jackson said. “Statistically, the number of fires hasn’t increased, but how early and late they burn has increased, and the fires are getting bigger.”

National Weather Service Meteorologist James Tomasini said forecasters are working with state land managers to assess the next risk levels. There was no fire warning for Long Island on Monday. Humidity levels are expected to drop between 30% and 40%, Tomasini said.

Fire risk could increase Tuesday when a cold front is expected to bring wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph, with winds expected to exceed 35 mph, Tomasini said. No significant rainfall is expected for next week.

“Even some rain will likely result in less favorable conditions for fire spread,” Tomasini said. “Strong northwesterly winds and drier conditions will continue.”