Alert archive / Nebraska / Red Flag Warnings in 2026
Red Flag Warning 21, NWS Hastings, NE
NWS Hastings, NE issued this red flag warning at Apr 17, 2026, 11:36 AM CDT for 24 counties in Nebraska; 6 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Apr 18, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 8 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
- Apr 17, 2026, 11:36 AM CDT (16:36 UTC)
- In effect from
- Apr 18, 2026, 12:00 PM CDT
- Expired
- Apr 18, 2026, 8:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 8 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Hastings, NE
All 30 counties
Jewell County, KS, Mitchell County, KS, Osborne County, KS, Phillips County, KS, Rooks County, KS, Smith County, KS, Adams County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Clay County, NE, Dawson County, NE, Fillmore County, NE, Franklin County, NE, Furnas County, NE, Gosper County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Hamilton County, NE, Harlan County, NE, Howard County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Merrick County, NE, Nance County, NE, Nuckolls County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Polk County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Thayer County, NE, Valley County, NE, Webster County, NE, York County, NE
The radar
The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 27 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:40 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
Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 306 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 2338 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -172 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 934 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 379 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 354 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.8
- Supercell composite
- 16.5
The text
As transmitted.
544 WWUS83 KGID 171636 RFWGID URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Hastings NE 1136 AM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON-EVENING... KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 180045- /O.NEW.KGID.FW.W.0021.260418T1700Z-260419T0100Z/ Phillips-Smith-Jewell-Rooks-Osborne-Mitchell-Valley-Greeley-Nance- Sherman-Howard-Merrick-Polk-Dawson-Buffalo-Hall-Hamilton-York- Gosper-Phelps-Kearney-Adams-Clay-Fillmore-Furnas-Harlan-Franklin- Webster-Nuckolls-Thayer- 1136 AM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS... The National Weather Service in Hastings has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from noon to 8 PM CDT Saturday. * WINDS...Northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts of 30 to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 14 to 20 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. 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. && $$ Wesely
3 follow-up statements
018 WWUS83 KGID 180252 RFWGID URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Hastings NE 952 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON-EVENING... KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 181700- /O.CON.KGID.FW.W.0021.260418T1700Z-260419T0100Z/ Phillips-Smith-Jewell-Rooks-Osborne-Mitchell-Valley-Greeley-Nance- Sherman-Howard-Merrick-Polk-Dawson-Buffalo-Hall-Hamilton-York- Gosper-Phelps-Kearney-Adams-Clay-Fillmore-Furnas-Harlan-Franklin- Webster-Nuckolls-Thayer- 952 PM CDT Fri Apr 17 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS... * WINDS...Northwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 14 to 20 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. && $$
163 WWUS83 KGID 181708 RFWGID URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Hastings NE 1208 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON-EVENING... KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 190100- /O.CON.KGID.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260419T0100Z/ Phillips-Smith-Jewell-Rooks-Osborne-Mitchell-Valley-Greeley-Nance- Sherman-Howard-Merrick-Polk-Dawson-Buffalo-Hall-Hamilton-York- Gosper-Phelps-Kearney-Adams-Clay-Fillmore-Furnas-Harlan-Franklin- Webster-Nuckolls-Thayer- 1208 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS... * WINDS...Northwest 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 12 to 20 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. 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. && $$ Stump
804 WWUS83 KGID 190104 RFWGID URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Hastings NE 804 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026 KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087- 190215- /O.EXP.KGID.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260419T0100Z/ Phillips-Smith-Jewell-Rooks-Osborne-Mitchell-Valley-Greeley-Nance- Sherman-Howard-Merrick-Polk-Dawson-Buffalo-Hall-Hamilton-York- Gosper-Phelps-Kearney-Adams-Clay-Fillmore-Furnas-Harlan-Franklin- Webster-Nuckolls-Thayer- 804 PM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS... Winds have weakened below Red Flag criteria and are expected to remain below criteria so the Red Flag Warning is being allowed to expire. $$
The office that day
Everything else NWS Hastings, NE issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 10:49 AM CDT | Freeze Warning | GID | Adams, Buffalo, Clay, Dawson, Fillmore, Franklin and 18 more | 22 hr |
Nearby
Red Flag Warnings in Nebraska, 2026Red Flag Warnings in Kansas, 2026Every red flag warning in 2026
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.