Red Flag Warning Now Issued For 35 Counties In Minnesota 2026

If you live in western or southwestern Minnesota and were thinking about burning anything outdoors today, stop.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the National Weather Service have issued a Red Flag Warning for 35 counties today, May 12, due to extreme fire risk conditions across parts of the state.

A Red Flag Warning is one of the most serious fire weather alerts available. It means that a combination of low relative humidity and high winds has created conditions where fires can spread quickly and grow dangerously out of control.

Under a Red Flag Warning, what starts as a small spark from a trailer chain dragging on pavement, an ATV parked on dry grass, or an unextinguished campfire can become a wildfire in minutes. These are not conditions to take lightly.

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The 35 Counties Under A Red Flag Warning Today

The DNR will not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning in impacted counties during the warning period, and is also discouraging campfires.

"When fire risk is this high, it's important to be careful with anything that could spark a wildfire," said Karen Harrison, DNR wildfire prevention specialist.

The following counties are under the Red Flag Warning as of May 12, 2026:

Big Stone
Blue Earth
Brown
Chippewa
Clay
Cottonwood
Faribault
Grant
Jackson
Kandiyohi
Lac Qui Parle
Lincoln
Lyon
Marshall
Martin
McLeod
Meeker
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
Norman
Otter Tail
Pipestone
Polk
Pope
Redwood
Renville
Rock
Sibley
Stevens
Swift
Traverse
Watonwan
Wilkin
Yellow Medicine

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Recommended Precautions During A Red Flag Warning

The DNR is urging residents to take the following precautions during the warning:

Do not burn in any county under a Red Flag Warning
Check any recent burning to make sure it is completely extinguished
Avoid activities that can cause sparks near vegetation, including securing trailer chains and parking ATVs on gravel or pavement
Use chainsaws or other equipment outside of Red Flag Warning hours

Red Flag Warnings are evolving situations, and conditions can change throughout the day. For the latest updates, visit the National Weather Service or the DNR's statewide fire danger and burning restrictions page.

You can also receive text updates on current fire risk and open burning restrictions in Minnesota by texting FIRE to 66468.

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