Red Flag Warnings will remain in place through the remainder of the weekend.
On top of the warning affecting the entire KVOE listening area Saturday, Lyon and all surrounding counties until 10 pm – Red Flag Warnings have also been issued from 9 am to 8 pm, again for the entire listening area Sunday. Separately, a wind advisory has been issued for Lyon, Morris and Wabaunsee counties from 7 am to 4 pm and Chase and Greenwood counties from 9 am to 8 pm Sunday.
The Red Flag Warnings mean automatic burn bans for all affected counties reflecting extreme fire danger through the weekend due to a combination of low humidity levels, dry fuels, and heavy winds. North winds are expected to be steady between 20 and 30 mph on Sunday, with some gusts as high as 45 mph, meaning any fires that develop will have the ability to spread rapidly.
Emporia Fire has already responded to a trio of fire calls around Emporia as of Saturday afternoon; however, none of the reported fires were out of control. According to EFD, crews were called to 1270 Road P at 11:05 am for a grass fire, and a little over an hour later, they would respond to a separate fire just a half mile to the west.
Both of these incidents were controlled burns that had begun before Saturday’s Red Flag Warnings had gone into effect and firefighters simply extinguished them before clearing the scene. A third fire was then called in just after 2:30 pm at the intersection of Road U and US Highway 56.
EFD says this was a rekindle of a controlled burn from the night before. None of the fires caused damage to any property and no injuries were reported.
After record high temperatures both Friday and Saturday in the mid to upper 90s, the area is anticipating a bit of a cool down Sunday with high temperatures in the mid 70s, which will drop to the mid to upper 60s by Monday.
Saturday:
Outdoor burns planned for the upcoming weekend are now banned for Lyon and surrounding counties.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Lyon, Coffey, Morris, Osage and Wabaunsee counties from 11 am to 10 pm Saturday. Chase and Greenwood counties, meanwhile, are in a separate red flag warning from 12-10 pm. This trims the fire weather watch timing for most of Saturday, but the watch still exists areawide from 10 pm Saturday to 7 pm Sunday.
Generally, red flag warnings signal critical fire danger and significant unpredictability in fire behavior. As far as weather specifics, area residents will see record high temperatures in the low 90s for Saturday, along with south winds as high as 40-45 mph and relative humidity levels below 20 percent.
Emporia firefighters had a busy Thursday with grass fires, and they are urging landowners to make sure prior burns are out as the fire danger revs up for the weekend.
Firefighters had three relatively small fires to put out in Lyon County on Thursday:
*Emporia and Americus went to a roughly 20-acre fire in the 2000 block of Road C shortly after 1:30 pm
*Emporia went to the 1300 block of H for a 10-acre fire as they were ending their effort on Road C
*Emporia handled a 5-acre fire in the 1500 block of Road 140 around 5:20 pm
All three fires were initially controlled burns that went out of control. In the Road H incident, a water tank rolled out of a truck and was rendered useless for firefighting.
Temperatures will be in the low 90s Saturday and the upper 70s Sunday, but Emporia Fire Capt. Ben Lienemann tells KVOE News firefighters have had concerns about the weather conditions since our last rainfall March 10.
Lienemann says area fire departments are ready for what may come.
Stay updated through KVOE and KVOE.com.
