MANATEE -- Early morning rain in Bradenton on Wednesday was expected to give way to a sunny and windy day, according to the National Weather Service.

The day will start out cloudy but gradually become sunny, with a high near 65 and northwesterly winds of 13 to 21 mph. Gusts could reach 29 mph.

Wednesday night, skies will be mostly clear, with a low around 44 and northerly winds of 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

The strong winds combined with expected low humidity has lead the Weather Service to issue a red flag warning because of an increased risk for wild fires. The warning is in effect from noon to 7 p.m. for Manatee, Sarasota and other counties in the Tampa Bay region.