A dangerous fire weather pattern is setting up across much of western South Dakota this week, prompting a Red Flag Warning for today as hot, dry, and windy conditions combine to increase the risk of fast‑moving wildfires.
The warning is in effect from late morning through this evening for much of western and south‑central South Dakota, including Fall River, Custer, Butte, Perkins, Ziebach, Haakon, Bennett, Tripp, and surrounding counties.
Forecasters say afternoon temperatures will climb into the mid‑80s to mid‑90s, while relative humidity drops as low as 10 percent. Strong winds are expected, starting from the south and southwest at 15 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph, before switching sharply to the northwest behind a dry cold front later in the afternoon and evening. Wind gusts could increase to 40 mph with the frontal passage.
The sudden wind shift, combined with low humidity and dry fuels, could cause any fire that starts to spread rapidly and become difficult to control.
Meteorologists say near‑critical to critical fire weather conditions are expected to persist through much of the week, with Wednesday and Thursday shaping up as additional high‑risk days.
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