NWS Expands Red Flag Warning in Minnesota to Include St. Louis + Cook Counties
The National Weather Service is warning Minnesotans of extreme fire risk conditions that exist throughout the northern parts of the state. With that in mind, they have issued Red Flag Warnings across several counties.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the following counties are all under a Red Flag Warning as of Friday, June 4:
- Becker
- Beltrami
- Cass
- Clay
- Clearwater,
- Cook
- Crow Wing
- Hubbard
- Itasca
- Kittson
- Koochiching
- Lake, Lake Of The Woods
- Mahnomen
- Marshall
- Norman
- Otter Tail
- Pennington
- Polk
- Red Lake
- Roseau
- St. Louis
- Wadena
- Wilkin
A Red Flag Warning means the area is experiencing critical weather conditions that are ideal for wildfire, including strong winds and low humidity. Do not burn while the Red Flag Warning remains in effect and check any burning done recently to ensure the fire is out. Any spark could become a wildfire under Red Flag conditions.
While the Red Flag Warning is scheduled to end at 9:00 p.m., it's always a great idea to keep track of the fire danger and burning restrictions across before doing any burning.
The Minnesota DNR has a helpful website to check on that, which is updated daily, and residents are also encouraged to follow @mnforestry (DNR Forestry) on Twitter for up-to-date information on statewide fire conditions.
Information on large wildfires can be found by following @mnics (Minnesota Incident Command System).
With camping season in full swing, it's also important to remember to use care anytime you're having a campfire. The DNR recommends following these tips to avoid accidentally starting a wildfire:
- Never leave a campfire unattended.
- Keep the fire within a fire ring and clear all flammable materials within 5 feet of the fire.
- Before leaving, make sure the fire is completely out: drown with water, stir and repeat – until embers are cold.