Community Corner
Red Flag Warning, Burning Restrictions Issued for Dakota County
The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday has raised fire dangers.
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Monday’s warm and breezy weather conditions might seem ideal for a stroll in the park, but they have public safety officials worried.
The National Weather Service in Chanhassen has issued a Red Flag Warning for much of Minnesota. Also, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Dakota County with a "high" fire danger rating.
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The culprits for the fire concerns are above-average temperatures, windy conditions and extremely low humidity.
RED FLAG WARNING
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Here is the text of the weather service’s Red Flag Warning, which was issued at 11:32 a.m today:
...RED FLAG WARNING ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TODAY AND TUESDAY...STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS...GUSTING TO 35 TO 40 MPH...WILL DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE RETREATS TO THE EAST AND A COLD FRONT ADVANCES THROUGH THE DAKOTAS. TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL WARM INTO THE 80S...WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DROPPING TO NEAR 20 PERCENT. THE COMBINATION OF DRY FUELS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS WILDFIRE CONDITIONS. A RED FLAG WARNING NOW IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF CENTRAL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR THE REST OF THE TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.
THERE WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK IN THE FIRE DANGER TONIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY AS WINDS DECREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY INCREASES.
HOWEVER...DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL REDEVELOP ON TUESDAY ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S UNDER THE CONTINUED INFLUENCE OF STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL REACH NEAR 20 PERCENT ONCE AGAIN...RESULTING IN HIGH FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO ENTER WESTERN MINNESOTA TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRONT AND DECREASING WINDS COULD REDUCE THE FIRE DANGER ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA EARLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
On Tuesday, a high 91 with winds gusting as high as 38 miles per hour are in the forecast. The average high temperature for Sept. 10 is 74 degrees, according to the weather service. Rain and more seasonable temperatures are in Wednesday's forecast.
FIRE DANGER
The DNR says Dakota County is in the "high" fire danger category, which means “fires start easily and spread at a fast rate." Most of the Twin Cities metro area has that rating.
But it’s a different story outside of the metro. All of western and south-central Minnesota has been tagged with an "extreme" rating. In those areas "the fire situation is explosive and can result in extensive property damage," according to the DNR.
Dakota County and most other metro-area counties are under burning restrictions. No burning permits are being issued, but campfires are allowed.
Click here to see the DNR’s fire-danger and burning-restriction maps.
