Weather Alerts For Badlands Natl Park, SD

# HEADLINE -------------------- 3 DAYS OF NEAR-CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHEASTERN WYOMING AND WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM MDT /NOON CDT/ TO 8 PM MDT /9 PM CDT/ MONDAY FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 315, 317, 321, 322, 325, 326, 332, 333, 334, AND 335 # SUMMARY -------------------- .High pressure building into the region will support a strong warming and drying trend across northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota today through Wednesday. Daily afternoon relative humidity values will drop into the 8 to 20 percent range by Monday and stay there each afternoon through Wednesday, while temperatures gradually warm into the 80s to near 90. Winds will be more marginal and somewhat of a limiting factor at times for meeting formal critical fire weather thresholds, but gusts of at least 25 MPH will likely overlap with these dry humidity values in some areas each day, with much stronger winds regionwide Wednesday. The combination of dry fuels, low relative humidities, gusty winds, and hot temperatures will support widespread near- critical to critical fire weather conditions, with multiple Red Flag Warnings possible over the period. The first warning has been issued for portions of northeastern Wyoming and the southwestern and south-central South Dakota plains for Monday. The National Weather Service in Rapid City has issued a Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity, which is in effect from 11 AM MDT /noon CDT/ to 8 PM MDT /9 PM CDT/ Monday. # DETAILS -------------------- AFFECTED AREA Fire Weather Zones 315 Southern Campbell, 317 Weston County Plains, 321 Southern Black Hills, 322 Fall River County Area, 325 Custer County Plains, 326 Pine Ridge Area, 332 Badlands Area, 333 Bennett County Area, 334 Mellette and Todd Counties, and 335 Tripp County. WINDS West 10 to 20 MPH with gusts up to 30 MPH. RELATIVE HUMIDITY As low as 9 percent. IMPACTS The combination of dry fuels, low relative humidities, gusty winds, and hot temperatures will produce critical fire weather conditions. New fires could spread rapidly. ISSUED AT Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 11:42 AM MDT ISSUED BY National Weather Service Rapid City SD HEADER URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE # 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. # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Mellette and Todd Counties, Pine Ridge Area, Weston County Plains, Badlands Area, Bennett County Area, Custer County Plains, Fall River County Area, Southern Black Hills, Southern Campbell, Tripp County

Pollen Index: 9.5 Pollen Level: medium-high Predominant Pollen: Cedar/Juniper, Poplar/Aspen/Cottonwood and Elm. Concentration of pollen grains in the air for Monday will be on the increase and extend further into the very high range. This is likely to be caused in part by rising temperatures, strong winds and lower relative humidity. The increase of this magnitude could make it more difficult for those with allergies.