Red Flag Warning Issued for Southwestern Iowa Due to Critical Fire Weather Conditions
This alert is no longer in effect.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 southwestern and west-central Iowa for Thursday, citing strong winds and low humidity that could lead to rapid fire spread.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Southwestern Iowa
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Des Moines
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 Southwestern Iowa.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions. The alert is officially in effect for Thursday, March 12, from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM CDT.
Affected Areas
The warning covers much of southwestern into west-central Iowa. The specific counties included in the alert area are:
- Crawford
- Carroll
- Audubon
- Guthrie
- Cass
- Adair
- Adams
- Union
- Taylor
- Ringgold
What You Should Do
Residents in the affected areas are strongly discouraged from engaging in outdoor burning. A Red Flag Warning indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly, and residents should prepare accordingly.
Expected Conditions
Critical fire weather conditions will be driven by a combination of strong winds, low humidity, and cured fuels:
- Winds: South to southwest winds sustained at 20 to 25 MPH, with gusts reaching up to 40 MPH possible.
- Humidity: Relative humidity is expected to fall to approximately 25% during the afternoon and evening.
- Impacts: The environment will be conducive to the rapid spread of any fires that develop.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM CDT on Thursday, March 12, and is expected to expire at 9:00 PM CDT that same evening.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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