Red Flag Warning Issued for Western and Southwest Nebraska: 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Declared
This alert is no longer in effect.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 as extreme fire conditions create a particularly dangerous situation through Tuesday evening.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Western and Southwest 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 Southwest Nebraska.
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.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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