Fire Danger Across Northern Great Plains

Red Flag Warnings are in effect for portions of the north central U.S. tomorrow as critical fire weather conditions are expected. Every county shaded pink in the map below is under a Red Flag warning from noon until 7pm CST tomorrow.

Fuels for fire development will be present tomorrow afternoon with gusty winds and very dry air. Dew points in this area will be in the 30s and 40s combined with high temperatures in the 70s. This will result in very low relative humidity values in the 15 to 20 percent range. Winds are also a possible fire fuel as surface wind speeds of 20-25 mph will be common with gusts up to 40 mph.

It is unusual to see Red Flag Warnings in this region of the country during the heart of Spring. Usually the north central U.S.  receives plenty of precipitation through Spring rainfall and a melting snowpack and that leaves most of the vegetation lush and green.

The area circled red on the drought monitor map below indicates a shortage of precipitation in areas with Red Flag Warnings. The ongoing drought is likely a contributor to the critical fire conditions in the region.