The National Weather Service’s Red Flag Warning footprint contracted to 30 active alerts across 13 states Friday, down sharply from Thursday’s 42 warnings spanning 15 states, as the southern Plains fringe and Great Basin largely exited the danger zone. The retreat is a partial improvement — not a resolution. The fire threat has consolidated, shifting toward the northern Plains, upper Midwest, and Southwest, where conditions remain dangerous through the weekend.
Minnesota now holds the largest single-state concentration in the warning footprint, with alerts covering more than a dozen counties including Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Becker, Otter Tail, Wadena, Wilkin, Polk, Pennington, Red Lake, Norman, Clay, Kittson, and Roseau. West winds of 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph and relative humidity as low as 17 percent are creating conditions in which any fire will catch and spread quickly, according to the National Weather Service. Residents should check Minneapolis weather for local updates as conditions evolve.
North Dakota carries an equally broad warning footprint across its eastern tier, with alerts in Grand Forks, Cass, Traill, Steele, Griggs, Barnes, Ransom, Sargent, Richland, Eddy, Nelson, Cavalier, Towner, Pembina, Benson, Ramsey, and both eastern and western Walsh County.
California’s warning extends through Monday. The West Side Hills on the Coastal Range and the San Joaquin Valley face winds gusting to 35 mph Saturday and Sunday, with humidity dropping to 20 percent or lower both days before falling to 15 percent or lower Monday. The National Weather Service has identified fast-moving grass fires as the highest threat in that region, warning that any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
In Wisconsin, Vilas, Polk, Barron, and Rusk counties are under warnings, with Vilas facing a concentrated window of critical conditions — southwest winds gusting 25 to 30 mph, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures — from midday through early evening Friday.
New Mexico remains active across the Middle Rio Grande Valley, Northeast Highlands, and Central Highlands, keeping the Southwest corridor in the warning footprint despite the overall pullback. Albuquerque weather covers that region in detail.
Kansas and Louisiana, which entered the warning footprint for the first time Thursday, are no longer among the affected states. The current 13-state list — Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — reflects a clear northward and westward shift away from the Gulf Coast fringe.
The National Weather Service warns that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to rapid fire spread across all active warning zones. Outdoor burning is not recommended throughout the footprint.