Northwest Iowa — Fire officials are urging people to be more careful with fire and things that could get hot.
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued a Fire Weather Watch for wind and low relative humidity, which is in effect from Friday afternoon through Friday evening. It’s for Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, and O`Brien counties, plus Dickinson, Clay, Plymouth, Cherokee, and Woodbury counties in Iowa; Murray, Cottonwood, Nobles, Jackson, and Rock counties in Minnesota; Dixon and Dakota counties in Nebraska; and Clay and Union counties in South Dakota.
The weather service says southwest winds at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35-40 mph will combine with relative humidities as low as 22 percent to produce conditions that will mean that any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
In our four-county area, firefighters have responded to at least 11 grass fires in the last two days, and with the weather forecast for Friday, that number could rise significantly. Fire officials are urging people to do their part to prevent fires. Remember, even fires that were thought to be out weeks ago have rekindled in strong winds, so in addition to being careful with fire or anything that could get hot, they ask you to check all burning piles to make sure everything is okay.
KIWA Staff Photo
