This afternoon, winds have gusted close to 50 mph. Sustained winds have been between 15-30. A Wind Advisory has been issued in the NW 1/2 of the state through this evening. The wind will begin to slacken off a little after sunset. With strong winds and very low relative humidities, there is a risk of fires in NW Iowa. For that, extreme fire danger is in effect in those areas.

Here are the current wind gusts as of 1pm:

Carroll 41
Cherokee 40
Le Mars 45
Orange City 44
Sheldon 45
Sioux City 48 (Temperature 90°)
Spencer 48
Storm Lake 46
Atlantic 41
Council Bluffs 35
Creston 32
Harlan 38
Lamoni 31
Red Oak 35
Shenandoah 31
Ames 37
Ankeny 30
Boone 37
Chariton 29
Des Moines 33
Grinnell 32
Marshalltown 35
Newton 31
Perry 40
Algona 51
Clarion 45
Estherville 51
Fort Dodge 41
Mason City 44
Webster City 41
Cedar Rapids 29
Charles City 38
Decorah 33
Dubuque 31
Oelwein 38
Waterloo 37
Iowa City 25
Quad Cities 25
Keokuk 20
Oskaloosa 30
Ottumwa 24