WICHITA — A red flag warning for Barton County and Central Kansas has been issued for extreme grassland fire danger until. 7 p.m. Tuesday by the National Weather Service in Wichita.
A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.
Extreme grassland fire danger will be created by relative humidities as low as 18 percent and northeast winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and become very difficult to control. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
The warning is issued for Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, McPherson, Reno, Russell, Lincoln, Saline, Marion, Harvey and Chase counties in the Wichita National Weather Service territory.
The warnings extend to northeast Kansas that are part of the Topeka National Weather Service territory. More than 30 Kansas counties are included in the red flag warning. Dozens of counties in northwest Missouri are also included in the red flag warning.