Red Flag Warning Issued for South Dakota and Wyoming: Critical Fire Weather and 75 MPH Gusts Expected

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Rapid City has issued a Red Flag Warning due to expected critical fire weather conditions. The alert was issued by the NWS Rapid City SD office and is effective for Thursday, March 12.

Affected Areas

The warning covers a broad region across South Dakota and Wyoming, including:

• Southern Black Hills
• Fall River County Area
• Eastern Foot Hills
• Custer County Plains
• Pine Ridge Area
• West Central Plains
• Haakon County Area
• Badlands Area
• Bennett County Area
• Mellette and Todd Counties
• Tripp County
• Southern Campbell
• Weston County Plains

What You Should Do

Residents in the affected zones should prepare for imminent critical fire weather. A Red Flag Warning indicates that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Residents are advised to exercise extreme caution as any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.

Expected Conditions

Strong west-southwest winds are expected to develop Thursday morning ahead of a cold front. Sustained winds will range from 35 to 50 mph, with gusts potentially reaching up to 75 mph. Daytime minimum relative humidity is forecast to drop as low as 18 percent. In the afternoon, a cold front will shift winds to the northwest, with gusts continuing to exceed 60 to 70 mph even as humidity levels begin to rise.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11:00 AM MDT (noon CDT) on Thursday, March 12, until 7:00 PM MDT (8:00 PM CDT) that evening.