Red Flag Warning Issued for Portions of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Through Friday Evening

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions, which is in effect for portions of northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska, and southeast South Dakota. This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch as conditions have become likely.

Affected Areas

The warning impacts the following geographic regions:

• Iowa: Plymouth and Woodbury counties.
• Nebraska: Dixon and Dakota counties.
• South Dakota: Gregory, Charles Mix, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay, and Union counties.

What You Should Do

Residents in the affected areas are advised that outdoor burning is not recommended. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. Any fire that develops in these conditions will catch and spread quickly. Residents should prepare for extreme fire behavior caused by the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures.

Expected Conditions

• Winds: Northwest winds between 15 to 25 mph are expected, with gusts reaching as high as 40 mph.
• Relative Humidity: Humidity levels are forecast to drop as low as 20 percent.
• Impacts: Critical fire weather conditions will facilitate the rapid spread of any new fires.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is effective from 11:00 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST on Friday, February 27.