Red Flag Warning 29, NWS North Platte, NE

855 
WWUS83 KLBF 121758
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1258 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKELY AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY...

NEZ209-130900-
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.A.0017.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.W.0029.000000T0000Z-260513T0200Z/
Loup Rivers Basin-
1258 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
NEBRASKA...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR 
MUCH OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Fire
Weather Watch for gusty south winds and low humidity, which is in
effect from Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 209 Loup Rivers Basin.

* TIMING...Tuesday, Noon CDT to 9 PM CDT for the Red Flag 
  Warning. Wednesday, 1 PM CDT to 1 AM CDT Thursday for the Fire 
  Weather Watch.

* WINDS...North 15 to 30 mph this afternoon. South 15 to 25 mph
  with gusts to 35 mph Wednesday afternoon and evening.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 17 percent this afternoon and
  again Wednesday afternoon.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 80 this afternoon. Up to 84 Wednesday.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts will 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.

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.

&&

$$

NEZ204-206-210-219-130900-
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.A.0017.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-Frenchman Basin-
Loess Plains-
1258 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026 /1158 AM MDT Tue May 12 2026/

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR 
MUCH OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Fire
Weather Watch, which is in effect from Wednesday afternoon 
through late Wednesday night.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 204 Eastern 
  Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR, Fire Weather Zone 206 
  Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest, Fire Weather 
  Zone 210 Frenchman Basin and Fire Weather Zone 219 Loess 
  Plains.

* TIMING...Wednesday, 1 PM CDT / Noon MDT to 1 AM CDT / Midnight
  MDT Thursday

* WINDS...South 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 15 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 85.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts will spread rapidly and be difficult 
  to control.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.

&&

$$

939 
WWUS83 KLBF 130224
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
924 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS LIKELY AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY...

NEZ209-132200-
/O.EXP.KLBF.FW.W.0029.000000T0000Z-260513T0200Z/
/O.UPG.KLBF.FW.A.0017.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.W.0030.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
Loup Rivers Basin-
924 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM WEDNESDAY TO 1 AM CDT
THURSDAY FOR GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MUCH OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA... 

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR THIS EVENING FOR FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 209...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red
Flag Warning for gusty south winds and low humidity, which is in 
effect from 1 PM Wednesday to 1 AM CDT Thursday. The Fire Weather 
Watch is no longer in effect.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 209 Loup Rivers Basin.

* TIMING...Wednesday, 1 PM CDT to 1 AM CDT Thursday 

* WINDS...South 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 17 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 83.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts will 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.

&&

$$

NEZ204-206-210-219-132200-
/O.UPG.KLBF.FW.A.0017.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
/O.NEW.KLBF.FW.W.0030.260513T1800Z-260514T0600Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-Frenchman Basin-
Loess Plains-
924 PM CDT Tue May 12 2026 /824 PM MDT Tue May 12 2026/

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT /NOON MDT/ WEDNESDAY
TO 1 AM CDT /MIDNIGHT MDT/ THURSDAY FOR GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MUCH OF
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

The National Weather Service in North Platte has issued a Red
Flag Warning for gusty south winds and low humidity, which is in 
effect from 1 PM CDT /noon MDT/ Wednesday to 1 AM CDT /midnight 
MDT/ Thursday. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 204 Eastern 
  Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR, Fire Weather Zone 206 
  Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest, Fire Weather 
  Zone 210 Frenchman Basin and Fire Weather Zone 219 Loess 
  Plains.

* TIMING...Wednesday, 1 PM CDT / Noon MDT to 1 AM CDT / Midnight 
  MDT Thursday

* WINDS...South 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 17 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 85.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts will 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.

&&

$$

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1229 AM CDT Tue May 12 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Critical fire weather conditions are possible Tuesday across the
  eastern Sandhills and portions of north central Nebraska.

- Near critical-and possibly critical fire weather conditions
  are possible Wednesday across western portions of the
  forecast area. The main area of concern is west of highway 83.
  There may be fire weather concerns late in the week
  particularly Friday and Saturday.

- Well above seasonal temperatures are expected to last all week
  and into the weekend. Some uncertainty remains in the late
  week precipitation forecast, which will largely depend on a
  potential plume of Gulf moisture.

&&

.SYNOPSIS...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026

H5 analysis this morning had an area of low pressure over
northeastern Quebec. A shortwave trough extended southwest of this
feature into southern Ontario around Lake Huron while a broad trough
of low pressure extended southwest into the Tennessee Valley.
Further west, a low amplitude ridge was present from eastern North
Dakota into Manitoba. High pressure was anchored over Arizona with a
ridge extending north into eastern Idaho. North of this ridge, a
shortwave trough was present along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border,
south to northern Montana. Gusty southwesterly winds had developed
across most of western and north central Nebraska this afternoon
with the exception of the northeastern Panhandle. Wind gusts were as
high as 38 MPH at Broken Bow over the past hour. Temperatures as of
2 PM CDT ranged from 81 at Broken Bow, to 87 degrees at Ogallala.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026

The Alberta/Saskatchewan shortwave, mentioned above, will
traverse southern Canada overnight ending up in southwestern
Ontario and northern Minnesota by 12z Tuesday. This feature will
force a cold front through the forecast area overnight. By 12z
Tuesday, this feature is expected to reside from south central
into far northeastern Nebraska. With the fropa overnight,
decided to include a mention of light precipitation across far
northern Nebraska. This is in line with the latest HRRR and
NAM12 solns. With passage of the front overnight, winds will be
decently mixed, leading to elevated temps tonight with lows
mainly in the 50s across the area. The expected warmer
temperatures also will limit RH recovery tonight to 50 to 60
percent. Tuesday will start out windy across the forecast area
behind the exiting front. Winds will peak during the mid to late
morning across western and southwestern Nebraska, then diminish
slightly into the afternoon hours. Further east, wind speeds
appear to peak later in the day, mainly during the afternoon
hours. Highs Tuesday will range from the middle 70s in the north
to around 80 in the south. The combination of winds and low
relative humidity will lead to near-critical fire weather
conditions across all of western and north central Nebraska. Low
minimum RH~17 to 22 percent and good potential for wind gusts
above 25 MPH exists during the afternoon hours in zone 209.
After collaboration with our neighbors to the east, decided to
hoist a fire weather watch for Tuesday afternoon in this zone.
Elsewhere, the strongest winds preclude lowest RH so we should
fall short of critical fire weather conditions for all but zone
209 Tuesday. Surface high pressure will build into Nebraska
Tuesday night this will lead to lows in the lower 40s with light
winds expected.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026

Surface high pressure will drop southeast into eastern Kansas
Wednesday morning. Winds will shift to the south on the back
side of this feature and will be gusty by afternoon,
particularly in the western half of the forecast area. Decent
low level warm air advection will surge north with the increased
southerly winds, pushing highs into the middle 80s for
Wednesday. With respect to winds Wednesday. The latest NBM
ensemble forecast has a 90+ percent chance of wind gusts above
25 MPH Wednesday afternoon along and west of highway 83. When
this threshold is increased to 40+ MPH, there is still a 70%
chance of exceedance over the western Sandhills. The inherited
forecast had minimum RH on the order of 15 to 20 percent Weds.
afternoon in the west. If moisture return holds off until
Wednesday night, and it appears that way with the latest NAM
forecast this morning, we may need additional fire headlines
across the western forecast area Wednesday afternoon.

Ridging aloft across the Rockies, will transition east Wednesday
night with the ridge axis being oriented from Oklahoma, north into
the eastern Dakotas Thursday morning. At the same time, a decent
shortwave trough of low pressure will enter the northern Rockies of
Montana and northwestern Wyoming. Downstream of this feature, a low
level jet will develop Wednesday night from western Kansas into
western Nebraska. Low level moisture is expected to surge north
overnight with dew points reaching the middle to upper 40s across
the area (per the latest NAM12 soln) by daybreak Thursday. Low level
moisture advection will continue through midday with dew points
possibly reaching the lower to middle 50s in a large portion of the
forecast area. A decent mid level trough of low pressure will slide
across the northern high plains Thursday. Further south, the GFS and
NAM solns develop a dryline across the western third of the forecast
area Thursday afternoon. Capping appears strong during the afternoon
hours, but weakens somewhat by evening as colder air aloft enters
western Nebraska early evening. This leads to some development of
isolated thunderstorms Thursday evening across the area. The NBM
initialized with slight chance and low end chance pops Thursday
evening, mainly over the eastern half of the forecast area. This
seems to be in good agreement with the location of the dryline at
00z, as depicted in the GFS and NAM12 solns. As for the severe
threat Thursday evening, the latest NAM12 soln does indicate some
modest SFC based CAPE's of 500 to 1000 J/KG along and east of
highway 83. This area is co-located with decent low to mid level
lapse rates and bulk layer shear of 25 to 35 KTS. There are
parameters there to support a low end severe threat, but with dew
points only in the lower 50s, and lacking deep layer moisture, feel
the severe threat is marginal at best ATTM.

The shortwave trough will lift northeast into southern Canada
Thursday night into Friday forcing the dryline well east of the area.
Westerly winds will usher in drier air into the region for Friday.
With highs expected to reach into the middle to upper 80s, minimum
RH Friday afternoon will reach 10 to 20 percent across the forecast
area. Westerly winds Friday are currently forecast in the 10 to 20
MPH range which would avoid any critical fire weather concerns. Low
amplitude flow from the central plains west to the west coast will
begin to amplify as a trough of low pressure deepens over the west
coast of the CONUS Saturday. This will lead to the development of a
surface trough across the high plains late Saturday. Increasing
southerly winds will once again usher in low level moisture to the
area. This low level moisture will persist across the area into the
latter half of the weekend and Monday.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 1229 AM CDT Tue May 12 2026

VFR conditions are expected to prevail across western and north
central Nebraska throughout the effective TAF period. The main
aviation concerns overnight will be a strong low level jet, bringing
LLWS concerns across western and north central Nebraska. This will
also be accompanied with a frontal passage, which brings an abrupt
wind shift at the surface and in the lower level wind shear to
strong northerly winds. Shortly after sunrise, as mixing develops
across the region, gusty northerly winds persist through the
afternoon and into the evening. By the evening, a low level
inversion will help decouple the boundary layer, decreasing winds
across the region.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026

Over the next 60 hours, two areas of concern are noted for critical
fire weather concerns. The first area is Tuesday afternoon, mainly
over zone 209. Gusty northwest winds behind an exiting cold front
will couple with a dry post frontal airmass, producing critical RH
around 20 percent with wind gusts reaching 35 MPH. Further west
Tuesday, stronger winds behind the front peak during the mid to late
morning hours. These winds in the west will preclude the lowest RH
values. With this occurring, most of the forecast area will avoid
critical fire weather conditions Tuesday. By Wednesday, strong
southerly winds will over the western half of the forecast area.
This area of concern is generally west of a line from Valentine to
North Platte. Minimum RH in all locations ranges from 17 to 22
percent across the forecast area Wednesday afternoon. However, winds
will drop off quickly east of highway 83 as these areas will be under
the influence of exiting high pressure. Friday will feature critical
minimum RH behind an exiting disturbance, however, winds are
forecast to remain below RFW criteria. Southerly winds will increase
on Saturday across the area with highs forecast in the mid 80s to
around 90. Minimum RH Saturday afternoon reaches 15 to 20 percent
across the area with decent potential for wind gusts exceeding 25
MPH. This will lead to, at a minimum, near-critical fire weather
conditions across the area.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Fire Weather Watch from noon CDT today through this evening
for NEZ209.

&&

SYNOPSIS...Buttler
SHORT TERM...Buttler
LONG TERM...Buttler
AVIATION...Richie
FIRE WEATHER...Buttler

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1006 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-130315-
Sheridan-Eastern Cherry-Keya Paha-Boyd-Brown-Rock-Holt-Garden-Grant-
Hooker-Thomas-Blaine-Loup-Garfield-Wheeler-Arthur-McPherson-Logan-
Custer-Deuel-Keith-Perkins-Lincoln-Chase-Hayes-Frontier-
Western Cherry-
1006 PM CDT Mon May 11 2026 /906 PM MDT Mon May 11 2026/

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of western and north
central Nebraska.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Increased fire weather concerns persist overnight tonight as humidity
recovery is limited to the 40 to 60 percent range. In addition to
this, a Pacific front will settle south through the area leading to
an abrupt wind shift and slightly increased wind gusts immediately
following passage through daybreak Tuesday.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday.

Critical fire weather conditions are probable on Tuesday across the
eastern Sandhills and portions of central Nebraska. A fire weather
watch is in effect Tuesday afternoon and evening for these areas.
Elsewhere, near-critical fire weather conditions are possible.

On Wednesday, near-critical and possibly critical fire weather
conditions are possible generally west of highway 83 from Valentine
to North Platte.

Thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon and evening, generally
east of highway 83. At this time, the severe threat is uncertain.

Fire weather concerns will increase Friday and Saturday across the
area due to a combination of low relative humidity and gusty winds.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.