Red Flag Warning for Wednesday, Nov. 20, (NWS Hastings, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — A Red Flag Warning has been issued for all central Nebraska during the afternoon hours of Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The Red Flag Warning will be in effect from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. due to the strong winds and low relative humidity, according to the National Weather Service – Hastings.
Strong winds out of the northwest will blow at 20-30 mph with gusts reaching 34-45 mph. Gusts could be locally higher north of Highway 92.
Relative humidity will dip into the 20-25 percent range across the region. The timing for the lowest humidity and highest winds will be during the afternoon hours.
An uncertainty regarding the fire weather concerns is the impact of Monday’s rainfall, where most of the forecast area received 0.5 – 1.5 inches of rain.
The issue today, is the recent rainfall be enough to keep fuels moist, or will the gusty winds and sunshine be able to dry fuels enough to allow for rapid fire growth.
The overall highest fire weather concerns will be across western Dawson, Gosper and Furnas counties as they received the least rainfall and will experience the lowest relative humidity values.
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.
