Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2026

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Twin Cities, MN

April 23, 202610 counties in Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this red flag warning at Apr 23, 2026, 1:54 AM CDT for 10 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Apr 23, 2026, 1:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 6 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 23, 2026, 1:54 AM CDT (06:54 UTC)
In effect from: Apr 23, 2026, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired: Apr 23, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
In force: 6 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, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN, Yellow Medicine County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 159 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:51 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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 156 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 576 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2441 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 242 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

562 
WWUS83 KMPX 230654
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
154 AM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON OVER
WESTERN MINNESOTA...

..Temperatures rising into the upper 70s today along with relative
humidity values dropping under 25 percent, strong southwest to west
winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph and exceptionally dry
fuels will produce hazardous fire weather conditions. Burning is
discouraged today as any fires that develop can spread rapidly.

MNZ041-047-048-054>057-064-065-073-231900-
/O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0005.260423T1800Z-260424T0000Z/
Douglas-Stevens-Pope-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi-
Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood-
154 AM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM CDT
THIS EVENING...

The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a Red Flag
Warning.

* AFFECTED AREA...Portions of central, southwest, and west central
  Minnesota.

* TIMING...From 1 PM this afternoon to 7 PM CDT this evening.

* WINDS...Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Around 20 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.

&&

$$

JPC

1 follow-up statement

788 
WWUS83 KMPX 232349
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
649 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

MNZ041-047-048-054>057-064-065-073-240100-
/O.EXP.KMPX.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-260424T0000Z/
Douglas-Stevens-Pope-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi-
Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood-
649 PM CDT Thu Apr 23 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

$$

Borghoff

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 23, 2:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	McLeod, Meeker, Wright	28 min
Apr 23, 3:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Meeker, Stearns, Wright	33 min
Apr 23, 3:41 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Sherburne	49 min
Apr 23, 4:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Benton, Mille Lacs, Sherburne	28 min
Apr 23, 4:32 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Sherburne	43 min
Apr 23, 5:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Isanti, Kanabec	57 min
Apr 23, 5:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Watonwan	24 min
Apr 23, 5:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Nicollet, Watonwan	30 min
Apr 23, 6:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Faribault, Freeborn	60 min
Apr 23, 6:15 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Le Sueur	60 min
Apr 23, 6:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Freeborn, Steele	44 min
Apr 23, 6:48 PM CDT	Blowing Dust Advisory	MPX	Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Redwood, Renville and 3 more	2 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 2026 Every 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.