Red Flag Warning issued in Southwestern Minnesota due to dry weather conditions

According to the National Weather Service, a Red Flag Warning has been extended for additional counties in western, southwestern, and south-central Minnesota. This begins Wednesday, March 6th at noon through 6 p.m. The warning is due to extreme fire risk conditions.

This Red Flag Warning affects Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac que Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Rock, Pope, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, and Yellow Medicine. Additional counties include Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Le Sueur, Watonwan, Martin, McLeod, Nicollet, Nobles, Redwood, Renville, and Sibley.

The warning was issued due to high fire danger in the southern two-thirds of the state caused by low humidity and strong winds happening Wednesday afternoon.

In these conditions, people residing in affected counties should not burn and should also check any recent burn sites to make sure the fire is completely out. Embers can travel over a mile in high wind conditions and people should be cautious with anything that can cause a spark.

Visit the National Weather Service for the latest updates on any Red Flag Warnings. You can also visit the statewide fire danger and burning restrictions page of the DNR website for more information and daily updates on current fire risk and open burning restrictions.