The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Crow Wing, Cass and several other counties in parts of northwest and west central Minnesota effective Monday, May 1, from noon through 8 p.m. due to extreme fire risk conditions.
Any spark could become a wildfire under Red Flag conditions.
Other affected counties are Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Hubbard, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Wadena and Wilkin.
A Red Flag Warning means fires can spread quickly and easily progress out of control under the current weather conditions, including gusty winds and low humidity.
Wind gusts as high as 30 mph are possible.
Residents should not burn in those counties where a Red Flag Warning is in effect and should check any recent burning they may have done to ensure the fire is completely out.
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The Department of Natural Resources will not issue or activate open burning permits during the Red Flag Warning, and campfires are discouraged.
“Any spark could become a wildfire under Red Flag conditions,” said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.
Red Flag Warnings are evolving situations. Visit the National Weather Service at weather.gov for updates.
For more information and daily updates on current fire risk and open burning restrictions, visit the statewide fire danger and burning restrictions page of the DNR website at mndnr.gov/burnrestrictions .
Forecast
- Monday, May 1: Sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a north wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Monday night: Clear, with a low around 33. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Tuesday, May 2: Sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a north wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
- Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
- Wednesday, May 3: Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
- Wednesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind around 5 mph.
- Thursday, May 4: Sunny, with a high near 67. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
- Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Friday, May 5: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Friday night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Breezy, with an east wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Saturday, May 6: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Breezy, with a southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Saturday night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday, May 7: A slight chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Breezy, with a southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Source: National Weather Service in Duluth
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