Outdoor burns are banned almost areawide — and discouraged in Greenwood County, the lone exception — after the National Weather Service announced red flag warnings for Thursday.
Red flag warnings signal critical fire danger, and that will be evident with high temperatures in the low 70s, dry grasses, relative humidity levels at or below 25 percent and southerly wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Fires that develop in these conditions will move rapidly and will be extremely difficult to control.
Officially, Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties are in one red flag warning from 11 am to 8 pm. Chase County has a separate warning from 12-8 pm.
Friday will also be warm and windy, with air temperatures in the mid-70s and wind gusts around 30 mph. Currently, a red flag warning is not being considered due to lower wind speeds and higher relative humidity levels, although the fire danger will still be very high. We have a slight chance of showers Sunday night, followed by a good chance of showers and storms Monday before dry conditions return as soon as Tuesday.
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