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The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning on Saturday for the entire New York City region -- warning of the potential for rapid fire spread throughout the area as dry conditions show little hope of abating.

The warning shows elevated fire risk in the five boroughs and all its surrounding areas, from Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley to Connecticut and New Jersey.

It comes as the city and northern New Jersey have faced a historic drought over the past month -- one that's threatened water supplies and made for a record amount of brush and wildfires in the region. Among the biggest is the Jennings Creek wildfire on the border of North Jersey and southern New York, which has been raging for weeks and which firefighters have now nearly contained.

But continued dry and windy weather will continue to threaten the region.

Wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour, paired with low humidity and ongoing dry conditions in the area, means the potential for wildfires continues, according to NWS meteorologist Bill Goodman.

"Any fires that develop could spread very rapidly," Goodman said on Saturday morning.

New York state has banned open fires until the end of November after persistent dryness in the region and a spate of dangerous fire conditions. Smokers are being asked to dispose of their cigarette butts responsibly to prevent the ignition of any fires, which are under heightened risk of spreading rapidly.

Mayor Eric Adams issued a drought watch for the city earlier this month, and conditions are unlikely to improve soon. Goodman said the New York area is poised to see rain Wednesday night into Friday, but that will do little to reverse the effects of one of the driest autumns in New York since records began.

"That would at least take the edge off the fire weather conditions. Whether it puts a dent in the drought -- we'll take anything that we can get, but I think we have a pretty big shortfall to make up for," Goodman said.