Fire Weather Watch

Locations Affected

Rapid City, SD ∙ Gillette Campbell County Airport, WY ∙ Blucksberg Mountain, SD ∙ Custer, SD ∙ Pine Ridge, SD ∙ Moorcroft, WY ∙ Crooks Tower, SD ∙ Hot Springs, SD ∙ Porcupine Butte, SD ∙ Hulett, WY

Headline

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING, THE BLACK HILLS, AND SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...
.Well above average temperatures forecast Wednesday with highs in the 70s to mid 80s; warmest along and south of I90. Very dry air will be in place with daytime relative humidity around 12 to 20 percent. Westerly winds will be strongest across southern Campbell County and far southwestern South Dakota. The combination of low relative humidity, warm temperatures, gusty winds, and drought conditions could support critical fire weather conditions. Additionally, a cold front will push through the forecast area late Wednesday night into Thursday with gusty northwest winds (and dry conditions) behind the front.

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Rapid City SD 1237 PM MDT Mon Mar 23 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN WYOMING, THE BLACK HILLS, AND SOUTHWESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA... .Well above average temperatures forecast Wednesday with highs in the 70s to mid 80s; warmest along and south of I90. Very dry air will be in place with daytime relative humidity around 12 to 20 percent. Westerly winds will be strongest across southern Campbell County and far southwestern South Dakota. The combination of low relative humidity, warm temperatures, gusty winds, and drought conditions could support critical fire weather conditions. Additionally, a cold front will push through the forecast area late Wednesday night into Thursday with gusty northwest winds (and dry conditions) behind the front. ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 332, AND 333... The National Weather Service in Rapid City has issued a Fire Weather Watch for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 314 Northern Campbell, 315 Southern Campbell, 316 Crook County Plains, 317 Weston County Plains, 318 Wyoming Black Hills, 319 Northern Black Hills, 320 Central Black Hills, 321 Southern Black Hills, 322 Fall River County Area, 323 Northern Foot Hills, 324 Eastern Foot Hills, 325 Custer County Plains, 326 Pine Ridge Area, 332 Badlands Area and 333 Bennett County Area. * WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 13 percent. * IMPACTS...The combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity would produce critical fire weather conditions. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.

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