Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2026
Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Twin Cities, MN
NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this red flag warning at Apr 16, 2026, 1:28 AM CDT for 12 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Apr 16, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 9 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 16, 2026, 1:28 AM CDT (06:28 UTC)
- In effect from
- Apr 16, 2026, 11:00 AM CDT
- Expired
- Apr 16, 2026, 8:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 9 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Twin Cities, MN
Counties Chippewa County, MN, Douglas County, MN, Kandiyohi County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN, Pope County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN, Todd County, MN, Yellow Medicine County, MN
The radar
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 152 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:26 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
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 6.5 hours before the alert went out and 149 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2155 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -23 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
473 WWUS83 KMPX 160628 RFWMPX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 128 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... .Warm temperatures in the lower 80s combined with relative humidity values of 15 to 25 percent will exist with wind gusts around 30 mph this afternoon and evening. This environment will create critical fire weather conditions for portions of west central and southwest Minnesota. MNZ047-054>056-064-073-161830- /O.UPG.KMPX.FW.A.0002.260416T1600Z-260417T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0002.260416T1600Z-260417T0100Z/ Stevens-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Yellow Medicine-Redwood- 128 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM CDT this evening. * AFFECTED AREA...Portions of southwest and west central Minnesota. * TIMING...From 11 AM this morning to 8 PM CDT this evening. * WINDS...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 17 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. && $$ MNZ041-048-057-065-161830- /O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0002.260416T1600Z-260417T0100Z/ Douglas-Pope-Kandiyohi-Renville- 128 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a Red Flag Warning. * AFFECTED AREA...Douglas, Pope, Kandiyohi, and Renville. * TIMING...From 11 AM this morning to 8 PM CDT this evening. * WINDS...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 21 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. && $$ Borghoff
1 follow-up statement
138 WWUS83 KMPX 161437 RFWMPX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 937 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING... .Temperatures increasing into the upper 70s will allow relative humidity to drop below 20 percent, coupled with winds increasing to 10-15mph with isolated gusts exceeding 25mph this afternoon out of the south. The window for wind gusts will diminish closer to sunset as temperatures begin to cool, allowing for the worst conditions to end after 01z. MNZ042-049-170100- /O.EXB.KMPX.FW.W.0002.260416T1900Z-260417T0100Z/ Todd-Stearns- 937 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * AFFECTED AREA...Todd and Stearns. * TIMING...From 2 PM this afternoon to 8 PM CDT this evening. * WINDS...South winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 24 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. && $$ MNZ041-047-048-054>057-064-065-073-170100- /O.CON.KMPX.FW.W.0002.260416T1600Z-260417T0100Z/ Douglas-Stevens-Pope-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi- Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood- 937 AM CDT Thu Apr 16 2026 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... * AFFECTED AREA...Portions of central, southwest, and west central Minnesota. * TIMING...Until 8 PM CDT this evening. * WINDS...South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 17 percent. * IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. && $$ TDH
Nearby
Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 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.