Red Flag Warning Issued for Western and Southwest Nebraska: 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Declared

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in North Platte, Nebraska, has issued a Red Flag Warning for western and southwest Nebraska. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent, creating what officials describe as a “particularly dangerous situation.”

Affected Areas

The warning covers the following geographic regions and Fire Weather Zones:

• Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR (Fire Weather Zone 204)
• Frenchman Basin (Fire Weather Zone 210)
• Loess Plains (Fire Weather Zone 219)

Specific impacts are expected to be highest in the western Sandhills and the southeastern Nebraska Panhandle.

Expected Conditions

Residents should prepare for extreme fire behavior driven by the following conditions:

• Winds: West winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph, with gusts reaching 45 to 55 mph.
• Relative Humidity: Levels dropping as low as 11 percent.
• Temperatures: Unseasonably warm highs ranging from 68 to 75 degrees.
• Lightning: No lightning is expected during this event.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is effective from 12:00 PM (Noon) CST until 8:00 PM CST today, February 17. For areas on Mountain Standard Time, the window is 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM MST.

What You Should Do

This is a high-risk weather event. If fires start, they will spread rapidly and will be extremely difficult to control. Residents are urged to prepare and exercise extreme caution. Avoid any activities that could produce sparks or flames, as the combination of strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures will contribute to extreme fire behavior.