Red Flag Warning Issued for Bennett, Mellette, and Todd Counties in South Dakota
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
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The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for south-central South Dakota due to critical fire weather conditions including gusty winds and low humidity.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- South-Central South Dakota
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Rapid City
Fire-weather notices describe conditions that can support rapid fire spread; they do not report that a fire is present. Check local emergency sources for any active incident.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in South-Central South Dakota.
Red Flag Warning Issued for South-Central South Dakota
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Rapid City has issued a Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity. This alert, issued by NWS Rapid City SD, indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will develop shortly.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions in South Dakota:
- Bennett County Area (Fire Weather Zone 333)
- Mellette and Todd Counties (Fire Weather Zone 334)
What You Should Do
Residents and visitors in the warning area should prepare for extreme fire behavior. The National Weather Service advises that the combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to dangerous fire conditions. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: Northwest winds at 15 to 25 mph with gusts reaching up to 30 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels are expected to drop as low as 15 to 18 percent.
- Environmental Factors: Existing D1 to D2 drought conditions in the region are expected to exacerbate the fire potential.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 12:00 PM MST (1:00 PM CST) on Friday, February 27, until 6:00 PM MST (7:00 PM CST) the same day.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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