Red Flag Warning Issued for Central and North Central 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This alert is no longer in effect.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 several South Dakota counties due to extreme fire weather conditions, including wind gusts up to 65 mph.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Central and North Central South Dakota
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Aberdeen SD
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 South Dakota.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Aberdeen has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity. This alert replaces the previously issued Fire Weather Watch for the region.
Affected Areas
The warning impacts the following counties in South Dakota:
- Corson
- Campbell
- McPherson
- Walworth
- Edmunds
- Dewey
- Potter
- Faulk
- Stanley
- Sully
- Hughes
- Hyde
- Hand
- Jones
- Lyman
- Buffalo
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas are advised to prepare for critical fire weather conditions. A Red Flag Warning signifies that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Any fires that ignite under these conditions will spread rapidly and become difficult to control or suppress.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: West winds between 30 to 40 mph are expected, with gusts reaching as high as 65 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels will drop as low as 30 to 40 percent in north central South Dakota and between 20 to 30 percent in central South Dakota.
- Hazards: Critical fire weather conditions resulting from the combination of high winds and low humidity.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 12:00 PM CDT (11:00 AM MDT) until 9:00 PM CDT (8:00 PM MDT) on Thursday, March 12.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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