NWS Warns of Fire Weather Conditions in Northern Great Plains, Great Basin
The US National Weather Service said parts of the northern Great Plains and Great Basin could experience critical fire weather conditions on Wednesday due to the presence of gusty winds and low relative humidity.Meanwhile, parts of the northern High Plains region is expected to encounter scattered severe thunderstorms, with severe wind gusts being the primary hazard, the agency said.The NWS early Wednesday issued a red flag warning for Colorado's Craig, Rangely, Meeker, Nucla, Montrose, Grand Junction, Gunnison, Aspen, and Lake City. The primary service providers in the state are Xcel Energy (XEL) and Black Hills' (BKH) Black Hills Energy.In Utah, a similar warning was raised for Milford, Cedar City, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, St. George, Escalante, primarily served by PacifiCorp's Rocky Mountain Power.Also covered under a red flag warning watch were Nebraska's Harrison, Chadron, Alliance, Scottsbluff, Bridgeport, Harrisburg, Kimball, Sidney, Holdrege, Lexington, Kearney, Broken Bow, North Platte, Ord, Oshkosh, Chappell, Hyannis, Arthur, Ogallala, Grant, Imperial, Mullen, Thedford, Tryon, Stapleton, Stockville, Burwell, Brewster, and O'Neill. Nebraska primarily falls under the service area of regional transmission organization Southwest Power Pool, with Midcontinent ISO also serving some areas.In Arizona, a warning for fire weather conditions was raised for Page, Grand Canyon Village, Seligman, Flagstaff, Winslow, Show Low, Kayenta, and Chinle, primarily served by Pinnacle West Capital (PNW) subsidiary Arizona Public Service Company.Areas placed under a red flag warning in South Dakota included Mobridge, Edgemont, Pine Ridge, Martin, Hot Springs, Kadoka, Pierre, Wall, Hermosa, Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearfish, Belle Fourche, Deadwood, Faith, and Dupree. Xcel Energy, Northwestern Energy (NWE), Black Hills Energy, MDU Resources (MDU) unit Montana-Dakota Utilities and Otter Tail's (OTTR) Otter Tail Power are among the major electric service providers in the state.A red flag warning was also issued for North Dakota's Crosby, Williston, Minot, Beulah, Dickinson, Bowman, Elgin, and Bismarck. The state is primarily served by Xcel Energy, Montana-Dakota Utilities, and Otter Tail Power.In Kansas, where Evergy (EVRG) is among the major electricity service providers, a warning for fire weather conditions was raised for Phillipsburg and Hill City.Montana's Drummond, Butte, and Anaconda, primarily served by Northwestern Energy, were also placed under a red flag warning watch.The NWS issued a freeze warning for Conway in New Hampshire; and Maine's Norway and Rumford.Meanwhile, flood warnings were raised for certain areas in Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Washington.