Red flag warning issued for 54 Minnesota counties due to wildfire risk

(FOX 9) - A red flag warning has been issued for 54 Minnesota counties on Friday due to extreme fire risk conditions. 

Red flag warning in Minnesota

Local perspective:

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for northern, central, and parts of southwest Minnesota from noon until 9 p.m. on Friday. 

The 54 impacted counties include: Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac Qui Parle, Lake, Lake Of The Woods, Lincoln, Lyon, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Roseau, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wilkin, Wright, and Yellow Medicine.

Red flag warnings are issued when conditions such as low humidity and strong winds could cause fires to spread quickly and get out of control, according to the DNR. 

Big picture view:

The red flag warning also extends across the Minnesota border into Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. 

What they're saying:

"Fine fuels, such as grass and small twigs, can dry out quickly when the relative humidity is low and winds are strong," said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist. "These fine fuels can easily ignite and start a wildfire that spreads quickly."

Officials are urging residents not to burn in counties where the warning is in effect and to check any recent burning to ensure fires are completely out. The DNR will not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning and said campfires are discouraged. 

Sunny with toasty warmth Friday 

The forecast:

Expect plenty of sunshine, warm temperatures, and low humidity across Minnesota on Friday.

Northern Minnesota will be windy with gusts reaching 35+ mph at times. The metro area is slightly less breezy with westerly winds at 10-15 mph. 

Temperatures warm into the 70s and 80s for much of the state, with pocket low 90s in southern Minnesota. The Twin Cities metro daytime high is around 88 degrees, well above the average high of 69 degrees. 

Saturday is fairly sunny and less breezy with temperatures in the low 80s. Scattered shower and thunderstorm chances return Sunday into Monday.