Red Flag Warning

Locations Affected

Rapid City, SD ∙ Philip, SD ∙ Wood, SD ∙ Grand River National Grassland, SD ∙ Tilford, SD ∙ Elm Springs, SD ∙ Red Elm, SD ∙ Oelrichs, SD ∙ Denby, SD ∙ Vetal, SD

Headline

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY EVENING ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA...
.Warm, very dry, and breezy weather will support critical fire weather conditions over most of western South Dakota through early this evening.

Full Alert Message

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Rapid City SD 1219 PM MDT Mon May 11 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY EVENING ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA... .Warm, very dry, and breezy weather will support critical fire weather conditions over most of western South Dakota through early this evening. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT /10 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, AND 335... * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322 Fall River County Area, 323 Northern Foot Hills, 324 Eastern Foot Hills, 325 Custer County Plains, 326 Pine Ridge Area, 327 Butte County Area, 328 Perkins County, 329 West Central Plains, 330 Ziebach County, 331 Haakon County Area, 332 Badlands Area, 333 Bennett County Area, 334 Mellette and Todd Counties and 335 Tripp County. * WINDS...West 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, strongest across northwest SD. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent. * IMPACTS...The combination of hot temperatures, gusty winds, and low relative humidities will produce critical fire weather conditions. In addition, a dry cold front will cross the region from northwest to southeast between 2 PM and 9 PM today, resulting in a sudden shift from south to northwest winds and an increase in wind gusts. In this environment, any new fires could spread rapidly and be difficult to control. 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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