URGENT – FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
214 PM CDT MON OCT 3 2011

…RED FLAG FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE TRI STATE AREA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY…

.DRY AND MUCH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. AS A RESULT…RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL ONCE AGAIN BE IN THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE. AT THE SAME TIME…SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH…ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. THE COMBINATION OF ALL THESE FACTORS WILL CAUSE RED FLAG CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL OF THE TRI STATE AREA…ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS OF TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

IAZ300-301-MNZ900-NEZ249-SDZ255>258-040315-
/O.NEW.KFSD.FW.W.0005.111004T1700Z-111006T0000Z/
NORTHERN LOESS HILLS AND FLOYD RIVER BASIN-
IOWA GREAT LAKES/ROCK AND LITTLE SIOUX BASINS-SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA-EXTREME NORTHEAST NEBRASKA-LOWER BRULE AND LAKE ANDES VICINITY-MIDDLE JAMES RIVER VALLEY-MIDDLE BIG SIOUX RIVER VALLEY-LOWER JAMES RIVER TO LOWER BIG SIOUX RIVER VALLEY-
214 PM CDT MON OCT 3 2011

…RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 249…255…256…257…258…300…301 AND 900…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM CDT WEDNESDAY.

* AFFECTED AREA…IN IOWA…FIRE WEATHER ZONES 300 AND 301. IN MINNESOTA…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 900. IN NEBRASKA…FIRE WEATHER ZONE 249. IN SOUTH DAKOTA…FIRE WEATHER ZONES 255…256…257 AND 258.

* WINDS…SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH…ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

* TIMING…THE WORST OF THE CONDITIONS CAN BEXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…LOWERING INTO THE 20S DURING THE AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES…IN THE LOWER 80S FOR HIGHS.

* IMPACTS…ANY FIRES THAT START WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY DUE TO THE EXTREME AND DANGEROUS DRY CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW…OR IN THE NEAR FUTURE. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

There is also a Fire Weather Watch in effect across west central into SW Iowa as well. These may get expanded further east, however I’ve never seen Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches or Warnings issued as very east of where they currently are now.