Alert archive / Nebraska / Red Flag Warnings in 2025

Red Flag Warning 21, NWS North Platte, NE

May 12, 202523 counties in Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this red flag warning at May 12, 2025, 12:32 AM MDT for 23 counties in Nebraska. It took effect at May 12, 2025, 10:00 AM MDT. It was in force for 10 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 12, 2025, 12:32 AM MDT (06:32 UTC)
In effect from
May 12, 2025, 10:00 AM MDT
Expired
May 12, 2025, 8:00 PM MDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
All 23 counties

Arthur County, NE, Blaine County, NE, Boyd County, NE, Brown County, NE, Cherry County, NE, Custer County, NE, Deuel County, NE, Frontier County, NE, Garden County, NE, Garfield County, NE, Grant County, NE, Holt County, NE, Hooker County, NE, Keith County, NE, Keya Paha County, NE, Lincoln County, NE, Logan County, NE, Loup County, NE, McPherson County, NE, Rock County, NE, Sheridan County, NE, Thomas County, NE, Wheeler County, NE

The radar

The North Platte radar (KLNX), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:33 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KUNR), launched 00:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 313 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 2025-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 102 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 2025-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 64 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
102 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
4188 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
94 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

779 
WWUS83 KLBF 120632
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
132 AM CDT Mon May 12 2025

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON INTO THE MID EVENING HOURS...

NEZ206-208-209-219-130200-
/O.UPG.KLBF.FW.A.0016.250512T1600Z-250513T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.W.0021.250512T1600Z-250513T0200Z/
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-
Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National
Forest-Loup Rivers Basin-Loess Plains-
132 AM CDT Mon May 12 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CDT
THIS EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS FOR MOST OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red
Flag Warning for low relative humidity and gusty winds which is 
in effect from 11 AM this morning to 9 PM CDT this evening. The 
Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 206 Sandhills/Valentine 
  NWR/Nebraska National Forest, Fire Weather Zone 208 Niobrara 
  Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National Forest, 
  Fire Weather Zone 209 Loup Rivers Basin and Fire Weather Zone 
  219 Loess Plains.

* TIMING...11 AM CDT through 9 PM CDT Monday.

* WINDS...South 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 18 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 90.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fires which may develop, will have a high 
  probability to spread rapidly and be difficult to control.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

$$

NEZ204-130200-
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.W.0021.250512T1600Z-250513T0200Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
1232 AM MDT Mon May 12 2025

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM MDT
THIS EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS FOR THE
WESTERN SANDHILLS AND EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red
Flag Warning for low relative humidity and gusty winds, which is 
in effect from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM MDT this evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 204 Eastern 
  Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR.

* TIMING...10 AM MDT through 8 PM MDT Monday.

* WINDS...South 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 14 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 91.

* LIGHTNING...None expected. Any fires which may develop, will
  have a high probability to spread rapidly and be difficult to
  control.

* IMPACTS...Any fires which may develop, will have a high 
  probability to spread rapidly and be difficult to control.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
347 
WWUS83 KLBF 130206
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
906 PM CDT Mon May 12 2025

NEZ204-206-208-209-219-130315-
/O.EXP.KLBF.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-250513T0200Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-
Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National
Forest-Loup Rivers Basin-Loess Plains-
906 PM CDT Mon May 12 2025 /806 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025/

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

Humidity is slowly increasing and winds decreasing a bit. Thus the
Red Flag Warning will be allowed to expire. 

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Nebraska, 2025Every red flag warning in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.