Red Flag Warning Issued for Western and Central Nebraska Due to Critical Fire 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This alert is no longer in effect.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 parts of Nebraska, effective Monday, due to low humidity, gusty winds, and near-record warmth.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Western and Central Nebraska
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS North Platte
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 Western and Central Nebraska.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red Flag Warning (NWS Alert Code: RFWLBF) for critical fire weather conditions. This alert replaces the previous Fire Weather Watch and is triggered by a combination of low humidity, near-record warmth, and gusty winds.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several fire weather zones across western and central Nebraska, including:
- Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR (Fire Weather Zone 204)
- Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest (Fire Weather Zone 206)
- Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National Forest (Fire Weather Zone 208)
- Frenchman Basin (Fire Weather Zone 210)
What You Should Do
Residents and visitors in the affected areas are advised to prepare for critical fire weather. Any fire starts will have a high potential to spread rapidly and will be difficult to control. Extreme fire behavior is possible under these conditions. Outdoor burning should be avoided, and precautions should be taken to prevent accidental ignitions.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: Westerly winds between 15 to 25 mph, with gusts reaching up to 40 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels as low as 11 percent.
- Temperatures: Near-record warmth with highs reaching the mid to upper 70s.
- Lightning: No lightning is expected during this event.
Timeline
The Red Flag Warning is in effect on Monday, March 9, from 11:00 AM CDT (10:00 AM MDT) until 8:00 PM CDT (7:00 PM MDT).
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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