Red Flag Warning Issued for Central and North Central Nebraska: Particularly Dangerous Situation
This alert is no longer in effect.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 parts of Nebraska due to near-record temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds creating critical fire conditions.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Central and North Central Nebraska
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS North Platte
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 Central and North Central Nebraska.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red Flag Warning, classified as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation." This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch and is effective for Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several fire weather zones in Nebraska, including:
- Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest (Fire Weather Zone 206)
- Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National Forest (Fire Weather Zone 208)
- Loup Rivers Basin (Fire Weather Zone 209)
- Loess Plains (Fire Weather Zone 219)
What You Should Do
A Red Flag Warning indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. Residents in the affected areas should exercise extreme caution as any fire starts will have a high potential to spread rapidly and will be difficult to control. The combination of strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Residents are urged to prepare accordingly.
Expected Conditions
Weather officials are forecasting critical conditions that include:
- Temperatures: Near record highs in the upper 60s to 70s.
- Wind Speed: West winds between 20 to 30 mph, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels as low as 10 to 20 percent.
- Lightning: No lightning is expected during this event.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM CST (11:00 AM to 7:00 PM MST) on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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