DES MOINES, Iowa—The National Weather Service office in Des Moines expanded the Fire Danger area being affected Friday.
URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Des Moines IA 1050 AM CDT Fri Apr 2 2021 ...Elevated Fire Danger Today... .Strong south winds of 25 to 35 mph with higher gusts over 40 mph possible along with very low humidity values and dry or dead vegetation has led to the potential for elevated fire danger today. Burning is not recommended. ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS.... The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Red Flag Warning FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS, which is in effect until 8 PM CDT this evening. * Relative Humidity...As low as 21 percent. * Impacts...Any fires that develop today may spread rapidly and become uncontrollable. * WIND...Strong south winds with sustained speeds of 25 to 35 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph possible. The strongest wind gusts are likely to occur in western portions of Iowa. * FUEL...Prairie grasses and other vegetation remains dry or dead and will easily ignite. Plus, any lingering crop debris could quickly burn in these conditions. The combination of all the aforementioned aspects will lead to extremely fast fire growth. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
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