Red Flag Warning 21, NWS Rapid City, SD

755 
WWUS83 KUNR 130418
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1018 PM MDT Tue May 12 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON WEDNESDAY TO 9 PM MDT
THURSDAY DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FALL RIVER
COUNTY AREA, NORTHERN FOOT HILLS, EASTERN FOOT HILLS, CUSTER COUNTY
PLAINS, PINE RIDGE AREA, BUTTE COUNTY AREA, WEST CENTRAL PLAINS,
ZIEBACH COUNTY, HAAKON COUNTY AREA, BADLANDS AREA, AND BENNETT COUNTY
AREA...

.Warm, very dry, and breezy weather will support critical fire
weather conditions over much of the western SD Plains Wednesday.
Expect southeast winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 35 mph, with
RH as low as 10 percent. A trough will move through the area early
Thursday morning, with winds shifting northwest and increasing. After
poor recovery, RH's will fall to the teens or lower again on Thursday
afternoon with gusty northwest winds.

SDZ322>327-329>333-132115-
/O.CON.KUNR.FW.W.0021.260513T1800Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
1018 PM MDT Tue May 12 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON WEDNESDAY TO 9 PM MDT
THURSDAY...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327,
  329, 330, 331, 332, and 333.

* TIMING...From noon Wednesday to 9 PM MDT Thursday.

* WINDS...Southeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Relative Humidity as low as 10 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. 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.

&&

$$

Schultz

726 
WWUS83 KUNR 131729
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1129 AM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THURSDAY DUE TO
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FALL RIVER COUNTY AREA,
NORTHERN FOOT HILLS, EASTERN FOOT HILLS, CUSTER COUNTY PLAINS, PINE
RIDGE AREA, BUTTE COUNTY AREA, WEST CENTRAL PLAINS, ZIEBACH COUNTY,
HAAKON COUNTY AREA, BADLANDS AREA, AND BENNETT COUNTY AREA...

.Warm, very dry, and breezy weather will support critical fire
weather conditions over much of the western SD Plains today. Expect
southeast winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts over 35 mph, with RH as
low as 10 percent. A trough will move through the area early Thursday
morning, with winds shifting northwest and increasing. After poor
recovery, RH's will fall to the teens or lower again on Thursday
afternoon with gusty northwest winds.

SDZ322>327-329>333-140130-
/O.CON.KUNR.FW.W.0021.260513T1800Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
1129 AM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THURSDAY...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327,
  329, 330, 331, 332, and 333.

* TIMING...Until 9 PM MDT Thursday.

* WINDS...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Relative Humidity as low as 10 percent in the
  afternoon today and Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. 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.

&&

$$

JC

323 
WWUS83 KUNR 140106
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
706 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THURSDAY DUE TO
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FALL RIVER COUNTY AREA,
NORTHERN FOOT HILLS, EASTERN FOOT HILLS, CUSTER COUNTY PLAINS, PINE
RIDGE AREA, BUTTE COUNTY AREA, WEST CENTRAL PLAINS, ZIEBACH COUNTY,
HAAKON COUNTY AREA, BADLANDS AREA, AND BENNETT COUNTY AREA...

.Warm, very dry, and breezy weather will support critical fire
weather conditions over much of the western SD Plains for the
remainder of today. Expect southeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts
up to 45 mph, with RH as low as 10 percent. A trough will move
through the area early Thursday morning, with winds shifting
northwest and increasing to 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
After poor recovery, RH's will fall to the teens or lower again on
Thursday afternoon with gusty northwest winds.

SDZ322>327-329>333-141200-
/O.CON.KUNR.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
706 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THURSDAY...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327,
  329, 330, 331, 332, and 333.

* TIMING...Until 9 PM MDT Thursday.

* WINDS...For Wednesday, southeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up
  to 45 mph. For Thursday, northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up
  to 55 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Relative Humidity as low as 10 percent in the
  afternoon today and Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. 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.

&&

$$

Schultz

541 
WWUS83 KUNR 141119
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
519 AM MDT Thu May 14 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING DUE
TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FALL RIVER COUNTY AREA,
NORTHERN FOOT HILLS, EASTERN FOOT HILLS, CUSTER COUNTY PLAINS, PINE
RIDGE AREA, BUTTE COUNTY AREA, WEST CENTRAL PLAINS, ZIEBACH COUNTY,
HAAKON COUNTY AREA, BADLANDS AREA, AND BENNETT COUNTY AREA...

.Warm, dry, and windy weather will result in critical fire weather
conditions over much of the western South Dakota Plains today. Winds
will shift to the west and northwest this morning at speeds of 20 to
35 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. Relative humidity will fall to 10 to
20 percent.

SDZ322>327-329>333-141930-
/O.CON.KUNR.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
519 AM MDT Thu May 14 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327,
  329, 330, 331, 332, and 333.

* TIMING...Until 9 PM MDT this evening.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Relative Humidity as low as 10 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. 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.

&&

$$

MLS

241 
WWUS83 KUNR 141852
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1252 PM MDT Thu May 14 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING DUE
TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FALL RIVER COUNTY AREA,
NORTHERN FOOT HILLS, EASTERN FOOT HILLS, CUSTER COUNTY PLAINS, PINE
RIDGE AREA, BUTTE COUNTY AREA, WEST CENTRAL PLAINS, ZIEBACH COUNTY,
HAAKON COUNTY AREA, BADLANDS AREA, AND BENNETT COUNTY AREA...

.Warm, dry, and windy weather has resulted in critical fire weather
conditions over much of the western South Dakota Plains today. Winds
shifted to the west-northwest earlier today with wind speeds near 20
to 35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Relative humidity will continue to
fall to 10 to 20 percent.

SDZ322>327-329>333-150300-
/O.CON.KUNR.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
1252 PM MDT Thu May 14 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327,
  329, 330, 331, 332, and 333.

* TIMING...Until 9 PM MDT this evening.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...Relative Humidity as low as 10 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly. 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.

&&

$$

GS

023 
WWUS83 KUNR 150257
RFWUNR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
857 PM MDT Thu May 14 2026

SDZ322>327-329>333-150400-
/O.EXP.KUNR.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-260515T0300Z/
Fall River County Area-Northern Foot Hills-Eastern Foot Hills-
Custer County Plains-Pine Ridge Area-Butte County Area-West
Central Plains-Ziebach County-Haakon County Area-Badlands Area-
Bennett County Area-
857 PM MDT Thu May 14 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

The relative humidity has increased and the strong winds have
decreased. Hence, the Red Flag Warning will be allowed to expire.

$$

Helgeson

Area Forecast Discussion For Western SD and Northeastern WY
National Weather Service Rapid City SD
1146 AM MDT Tue May 12 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

-Warm and windy this week with critical to near critical fire
 weather conditions the rest of the week

-Cooler late this weekend/early next week with some low chances
 for showers

&&

.DISCUSSION...(This Afternoon Through Monday)
Issued at 1142 AM MDT Tue May 12 2026

Western CONUS ridge will remain in place most of this week,
supporting warm and dry weather. Ridge topping impulses will
support weak cool fronts at times, with little to no precip with
each system. Breezy NW winds today behind the Great lakes upper
trough. Winds will gradually subside through the day. The next
upper trough will move into the Pac NW and will support a
deepening lee-side trough. This will allow SE winds to increase
Wed with gusts over 40 mph expected across NW SD at times.
Associated frontside impulse will shift east into NE WY later in
the afternoon and evening. Sufficient LL moisture should be in
place for isolated high based showers/TS. If convection does
develop, gusty winds would be expected per inverted-V profiles.
Convection chances will shift NE overnight. Did add some low pops.
Sfc trough will shift through the FA Wed night into Thur morning,
supporting gusty NW winds. Breezy winds can expected Thur, esp
over NW SD where adv level winds look possible. Breezy NW winds
will continue into Friday as another weak impulse advects through
westerly flow on the south side of the deeper southern Canadian
upper trough. Deeper upper trough will move into the Rockies this
weekend, leading to much cooler temps by Sunday as well as
slightly better (albeit still low) chances for showers into early
next week. Expect highs in the 50s and 60s most places Sunday and
Monday before things start to warm back up Tues. Models are
indicating that we may see better chances for rain later in the
week as Gulf moisture shifts north ahead of a Rockies trough.

&&

.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS Through 18Z Wednesday)
Issued At 1144 AM MDT Tue May 12 2026

VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period. Breezy
northwest winds will diminish late this afternoon into the
evening.  Looking ahead, breezy southeast winds are expected
Wednesday amidst otherwise continued VFR conditions during the
day.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued At 1142 AM MDT Tue May 12 2026

Warm, dry and, windy conds with receptive fuels will continue to
support critical to near critical conds to most of western SD
through the end of the week. A fire weather watch has been issued
for much of western SD Wed through Thur, with a long duration of
critical fire weather conditions expected. Breezy SE winds will
develop Wed ahead of a trough of low pressure. Very dry conds,
with RH's expected to fall to as low as 10 percent both Wed and
Thur afternoon (possibly Friday as well). The trough will move
through Wed evening and support gusty NW winds, with poor
overnight recovery. Gusty NW winds will continue Thur with
continued very dry profiles. Dry and breezy through Sat, with
potential extension of any fire headlines in SW SD. Cooler with
shower chances early next week, leading to a break in fire weather
concerns.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday
     evening for SDZ322>327-329-331>333.
WY...&&

DISCUSSION/KEY MESSAGES...JC
AVIATION...Dye
FIRE WEATHER...JC