Red Flag Warning Issued for West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri
This alert is no longer in effect.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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A Red Flag Warning is in effect today for portions of Illinois and Missouri as high winds and low humidity create critical fire weather conditions.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Quad Cities
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 Illinois and Northeast Missouri.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Quad Cities has issued a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions. The alert was issued by the NWS Quad Cities IA IL office and is classified under the NWS event code FWW.
Affected Areas
The warning impacts portions of west central Illinois and northeast Missouri. Specific counties included in the alert area are:
- Illinois: Hancock and McDonough
- Missouri: Scotland and Clark
What You Should Do
Outdoor burning is not recommended during this period. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. Residents should be aware that any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly, and fire behavior is expected to be extreme. The combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures contributes to these dangerous conditions.
Expected Conditions
Weather conditions in the affected regions are expected to reach critical thresholds for fire danger:
- Winds: Southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts reaching up to 40 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels are expected to drop as low as 18 percent.
- Vegetation: There is a plentiful supply of dry vegetation in the area, which serves as fuel for potential fires.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is effective from 10:00 AM CST this morning, February 18, until 8:00 PM CST this evening, February 18, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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