Red Flag Warning Issued for Parts of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Through Thursday Evening
This alert is no longer in effect.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 the tri-state region due to strong winds and low humidity, creating critical fire weather conditions through 9 PM CDT.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Tri-State Region (IA, NE, SD)
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Sioux Falls
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 Tri-State Region (IA, NE, SD).
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued a Red Flag Warning for portions of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. The warning is driven by a combination of strong winds and low relative humidity.
Affected Areas
The warning covers a broad geographic area across three states:
- Iowa: Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux, O'Brien, Clay, Plymouth, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Woodbury, and Ida counties.
- Nebraska: Dixon and Dakota counties.
- South Dakota: Beadle, Gregory, Jerauld, Sanborn, Miner, Lake, Brule, Aurora, Davison, Hanson, McCook, Minnehaha, Charles Mix, Douglas, Hutchinson, Turner, Lincoln, Bon Homme, Yankton, Clay, and Union counties.
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas are strongly advised to avoid outdoor burning. Any fire that develops under these conditions will catch and spread quickly. A Red Flag Warning means that the combination of weather elements can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Residents should remain vigilant and prepare for potential fire hazards.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: West winds between 20 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts reaching as high as 45 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Humidity levels are forecast to drop as low as 24 percent.
- Hazards: The combination of high winds and dry air will facilitate rapid fire spread.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective immediately and will remain in place until 9:00 PM CDT this evening, March 12, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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