3 States Under Red Flag Warning, Officials Warn of 'Extreme Fire Behavior'

Three states - Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas - have been placed under Red Flag Warnings as officials warned of "extreme fire behavior" should fires be started at any point through early Tuesday night. Windy weather conditions are expected to trigger the rapid spreading of fire.

"Dry gusty winds will lead to critical fire weather over portions of the central Plains Tuesday," the National Weather Service (NWS) said in a Twitter post early Tuesday. Kansas and Nebraska are part of the U.S. central Plains region.

The NWS in Boulder also provided details of the Red Flag Warning issued in parts of Colorado effective from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Affected areas include Wray, some parts of Fort Morgan, some parts of Flagler, and Sterling.

The NWS states that a Red Flag Warning "means warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger."

The NWS also said that "any fires that start will have extreme fire behavior and spread rapidly." Officials warned against outdoor burning and throwing cigarette butts out the window as such activities could trigger new fires.

Active Red Flag Warnings:

Kansas – effective from 9 a.m. through 8 p.m. Tuesday

• Cheyenne County
• Rawlins County
• Decatur County
• Norton County
• Sherman County
• Thomas County
• Sheridan County
• Graham County

Nebraska – effective from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday

• Nebraska National Forest
• Loup Rivers Basin
• Frenchman Basin
• Loess Plains
• Valentine National Wildlife Refuge
• Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Eastern Panhandle in Nebraska
• Niobrara Valley
• Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge
• Samuel R McKelvie National Forest

Nebraska – effective from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday

• Phillips-Rooks Valley
• Greeley Village
• Sherman County
• Howard County
• Dawson Village
• Buffalo
• Hall County
• Gosper County
• Phelps County
• Furnas County
• Harlan County
• Franklin County

According to the NWS in Hastings, fire weather conditions may fizzle out by Tuesday evening due to the chances of rain and thunderstorms.

In South Dakota, officials at the NWS in Sioux Falls also alerted residents of stronger wind gusts "after a cold frontal passage in the mid-morning" that could trigger fire weather in some parts of the state.

Fire Weather Watch in South Dakota effective through Tuesday afternoon:

• Gregory
• Charles Mix
• Douglas
• Hutchinson
• Bon Homme
• Yankton

Some areas in South Dakota are expected to see wind gusts above 40 mph Tuesday, which could further fan fire flames.

• Lemmon – 40 mph
• Bowman – 44 mph
• Eagle Butte – 44 mph
• Milesville – 44 mph
• Rapid City – 45 mph
• Faith – 45 mph
• Bison – 45 mph
• Wall – 47 mph

Buffalo tops the list, with wind gusts expected to reach up to 51 mph through Tuesday evening.