Red Flag Warning 38, NWS North Platte, NE

340 
WWUS83 KLBF 161957
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
257 PM CDT Tue Jun 16 2026

NEZ204-171100-
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.W.0038.000000T0000Z-260617T0300Z/
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.A.0022.260617T1800Z-260618T0300Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
157 PM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS FOR THE EASTERN NEBRASKA
PANHANDLE AND WESTERN SANDHILLS...

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG
GUSTY WINDS FOR THE EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND WESTERN
SANDHILLS...

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

* TIMING...For the warning today, through 9 PM MDT. For the watch
  Wednesday, Noon through 9 PM MDT.

* WINDS...The rest of today, west 10 to 20 with gusts up to 30 
  mph. Wednesday, northwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...The rest of today, falling to 10 to 15 
  percent. Wednesday, falling to 15 to 20 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...This afternoon, upper 80s to low 90s. Wednesday,
  upper 70s north to middle 80s south.

* LIGHTNING...none expected either day.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts should 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.

&&

$$

NEZ206-208>210-219-171100-
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.A.0022.260617T1800Z-260618T0300Z/
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-
Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National
Forest-Loup Rivers Basin-Frenchman Basin-Loess Plains-
257 PM CDT Tue Jun 16 2026 /157 PM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026/

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG
GUSTY WINDS FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

* 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, Fire Weather Zone 210 
  Frenchman Basin and Fire Weather Zone 219 Loess Plains.

* TIMING...1 PM CDT / Noon MDT through 10 PM CDT / 9 PM MDT.

* WINDS...Northwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Falling to 15 to 20 percent range.

* TEMPERATURES...upper 70s north to upper 80s south.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts could 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.

&&

$$

251 
WWUS83 KLBF 170300
RFWLBF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1000 PM CDT Tue Jun 16 2026



NEZ204-171100-
/O.EXP.KLBF.FW.W.0038.000000T0000Z-260617T0300Z/
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.A.0022.260617T1800Z-260618T0300Z/
Eastern Panhandle/Crescent Lake NWR-
900 PM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 
GUSTY WINDS FOR THE EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND WESTERN 
SANDHILLS... 

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS 
EVENING FOR FOR THE EASTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE AND WESTERN 
SANDHILLS...


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

* TIMING...For the watch Wednesday, Noon through 9 PM MDT.

* WINDS...Northwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

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

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 83.

* LIGHTNING...none expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts should 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.

&&

$$

NEZ206-208>210-219-171100-
/O.CON.KLBF.FW.A.0022.260617T1800Z-260618T0300Z/
Sandhills/Valentine NWR/Nebraska National Forest-
Niobrara Valley/Fort Niobrara NWR/Samuel R McKelvie National
Forest-Loup Rivers Basin-Frenchman Basin-Loess Plains-
1000 PM CDT Tue Jun 16 2026 /900 PM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026/

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG
GUSTY WINDS FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...

* 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, Fire Weather Zone 210 
  Frenchman Basin and Fire Weather Zone 219 Loess Plains.

* TIMING...1 PM CDT / Noon MDT through 10 PM CDT / 9 PM MDT.

* WINDS...Northwest 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.

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

* TEMPERATURES...Up to 86.

* LIGHTNING...None expected.

* IMPACTS...Any fire starts could 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.

&&

$$

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
631 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Fire weather concerns continue through Wednesday.

- Cooler weather again Thursday behind a strong cold front.

- Potential for strong to perhaps severe thunderstorms returns
  to the area Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

Red Flag Warning is on track across the Panhandle and western
Sandhills through early this evening. Gusty west to northwest winds
will continue late this afternoon then quickly decrease early this
evening.

Surface high pressure will slider southward overnight and be
centered across central Nebraska by Tuesday morning. With the dry
air and light winds, another cool night can be expected with lows in
the upper 40s and lower 50s.

Surface low pressure deepens across western SD during the day
Tuesday ahead of a strong shortwave diving southeastward toward the
Northern Plains. The surface low will deepen as it moves eastward
across SD overnight, and a 989mb center should be located across
eastern SD by sunrise Wednesday morning. Only meager moisture return
is expected Tuesday night ahead of the low, and little in the way of
any precipitation is expected with the deeper moisture and
instability remaining to our south. A strong Pacific cold front will
move from west to east across the area late Tuesday night into
Wednesday as the surface low shifts to the east. Deep boundary layer
mixing behind the front will promote stronger winds aloft mixing to
the surface through the day Wednesday. Area sounding profiles
support northwest wind gusts 40-45 mph through the day. Humidity
will be low, and fire weather headlines will likely be needed. See
the fire weather section below for further details.

&&

.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

Surface high pressure settles into the area Thursday with winds
decreasing and cooler temperatures, with highs in the mid 70s to
lower 80s A long wave trough moves onto the west coast and into
the Intermountain west by Saturday morning. Return southerly
flow will develop Friday as surface low pressure deepens across
northeast CO. Higher theta-e air will begin to move northward
Friday night, with surface dew points rising into the 60s
Saturday. As the low pressure deepens through the day Saturday,
low-level flow will back to the southeast across southwest
Nebraska. High instability and adequate shear will provide the
potential for severe storms with any late afternoon development.
Supercells would likely be the mode early on, transitioning to
possible MCS development during the evening as a strong
southerly low-level jet continues to advect moisture northward
into the area.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 631 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

VFR conditions will persist through the TAF period as upper level
ridging remains in place. Some stronger winds early this evening
will diminish after sunset giving way to winds under 10 knots
through mid Tuesday morning. Southeast winds will gradually increase
by late morning and through the afternoon with gusts up to 20
knots.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 336 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

Critical to near-critical conditions are expected each day through
Wednesday for much of western and central Nebraska.

Monday afternoon/evening...later today, a frontal boundary will
settle south out of South Dakota and lead to a wind shift to
northwesterly and then northerly. Speeds should briefly increase in
the wake of this frontal boundary. Arrival ranges from 5pm MDT in
the north to closer to 9pm MDT in the south. Gusts may climb to
around 25-30 mph for an hour or so before subsiding to less than 15
mph for much of the overnight. As winds lighten, they should again
become more variable with a slight persistence of westerly
direction. Humidity recovery will be poor overnight, particularly
across the southern Panhandle into southwest Nebraska, where values
may struggle to reach 60 percent.

Tuesday...near-critical to critical conditions are again likely for
the western Sandhills and eastern Panhandle. Westerly winds will
strengthen again beneath enhanced mid-level northwesterly flow.
Approaching thermal ridge from the west will bolster temperatures
off the surface and support very warm afternoon highs. Early morning
cloud cover should decrease in coverage slightly during the
afternoon but skies should remain partly cloudy in the afternoon.
With gusty west winds, mixing heights should push to around 10-12kft
AGL. Beneath a belt of stronger flow at h7 (~5-7kft AGL),
unidirectional low level flow will support afternoon gusts reaching
25 to 30 mph. Forecast highs will be warmer than Monday with values
in the middle 80s to near 90F for areas west of Highway 83. These
are approximately 5-10F above normal for middle June. Incoming air
originating from the higher terrain will support critical humidity
levels in Zone 204 with values in the 15-20% range for western zones
206, 208, and 210. Have maintained a Fire Weather Watch for Zone 204
given active Red Flag Warnings for Monday with likely need to update
later on. Will need to consider an extension to include the
overnight hours given especially poor humidity recovery of 40-55%
west of Highway 83 (55-70% east). Winds overnight will also back to
the south as a moderate low-level jet forms. Winds just off the
surface should increase to around 35-45 knots. This will keep winds
gusty overnight and play a large role in the poor humidity recovery.

Wednesday...critical fire weather conditions appear likely for much
of central and western Nebraska, largely driven by anticipated
magnitude of wind gusts. An approaching mid-level disturbance
will cross South Dakota and drag a cool front south into western
Nebraska. Recent trends have been to speed up the arrival of
this feature and as a result, daytime high temperatures have
fallen. That said, an influx of dry air beneath strong flow
aloft will support ample mixing allowing humidity to fall into
the 15-25% range. As flow off the surface continues to
strengthen, the deep mixing will tap into the belt of h7 flow of
40+ knots. As a result, wind gusts should climb to 40 to 45 mph
with the strongest north of the Platte River system. Daytime
highs will range from upper 70s in the north to lower 90s in the
far south. This is in an airmass characterized by dew points
falling into the 30s. Though humidity may be more marginal, the
expected magnitude of gusts drives the concern for the fire
conditions. Local partners have suggested that fuels continue to
green up but could still carry in the right conditions,
particularly stronger wind days. Should the current forecast
remain on track, headlines will be necessary to cover this
threat. Wind gusts should peak in the late morning/early
afternoon and only gradually subside into the evening. This may
prolong concerns well into the evening hours with potential for
humidity recovery to be hampered.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for NEZ204.
Fire Weather Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday
evening for NEZ204.

&&

SHORT TERM...Taylor
LONG TERM...Taylor
AVIATION...Kulik
FIRE WEATHER...NMJ

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service North Platte NE
909 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026

NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094-170215-
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-
909 PM CDT Mon Jun 15 2026 /809 PM MDT Mon Jun 15 2026/

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

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Hazardous weather is not expected at this time.

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

On Tuesday, the combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity
will lead to critical or near-critical fire weather conditions in
the eastern Nebraska Panhandle and western Sandhills. A fire weather
watch remains in effect for these areas.

Additional fire weather concerns will exist through the end of the
week. Concerns are highest Wednesday when the greatest overlap of
strong winds and low humidity are expected.

The threat for thunderstorms will increase Saturday and Sunday
across the area. At this time, the severe weather threat is
uncertain.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not expected at this time.