Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged for the KVOE listening area for Wednesday, but aside from one area county, burning has not been disallowed. That may well change between now and Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service has issued fire weather watches for the entire KVOE listening area from 12-9 pm, reflecting a combination of projected record high temperatures, humidity levels as low as 15 percent, high winds and bone-dry vegetation. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and be very difficult to control.
Fire weather watches are typically precursors to red flag warnings, which lead to automatic burn bans across the area. Chase County is currently the only area county in a burn ban. The ban was enacted Thursday and was extended by the County Commission on Monday.
Speaking of the winds, the Weather Service has also issued a high wind warning areawide from 9 am to 9 pm. Wind gusts could approach 60 mph across the area, with winds at 30-40 mph steadily through the warning period. This could blow down tree limbs, whole trees in some cases and power lines, leading to power outages. Travel will also be difficult for high-profile vehicles traveling in most directions.
As far as record highs are concerned, the daily highs for both Tuesday and Wednesday will likely be reset. The current record for Dec. 14 is 65 set in 1975. The forecast high is now 68. The current record for Dec. 15 is 69 set in 2002. The current forecast calls for 76 degrees.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates.
