Red Flag Warning Issued for West Central and Southwest Florida Through Monday 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This alert is no longer in effect.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).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for multiple Florida counties as low humidity and gusty winds create a high risk for rapid fire spread through Monday.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- West Central and Southwest Florida
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Tampa Bay Ruskin
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 West Central and Southwest Florida.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay Ruskin has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of West Central and Southwest Florida. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will develop shortly due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels.
Affected Areas
The following geographic regions and counties are under the warning:
- Sumter, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, and DeSoto counties
- Coastal and Inland Levy
- Coastal and Inland Citrus
- Inland Hernando
- Inland Pasco
- Inland Hillsborough
- Inland Charlotte
- Inland Lee
What You Should Do
Outdoor burning is not recommended during this period. Residents should exercise extreme caution as any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly. Prepare for the possibility of extreme fire behavior and monitor local conditions closely.
Expected Conditions
Weather conditions will be characterized by critically low humidity and breezy northerly winds:
- Winds: Northwest at 10 to 15 mph with gusts reaching up to 25 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Dropping as low as 25 percent.
- Hazards: Moderate significant fire potential expected due to dry conditions.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM EST on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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