Fires may spread rapidly in dry and windy KC, weather service warns. How to prevent them
Dry and windy weather has created potentially dangerous fire conditions throughout the Kansas City metro, the National Weather Service in Kansas City said in a Thursday forecast discussion.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for critical fire danger from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. Thursday. Any fires that develop are likely to spread rapidly, according to the NWS.
The weather service highly discourages outdoor burning during the warning.
In a social media post, the NWS provided examples of how people can prevent dangerous fires: avoiding outdoor burning, making sure trailer safety chains are not dragging on the ground, properly extinguishing cigarettes and avoiding equipment that could spark.
Dry conditions throughout the Kansas City metro as of late, paired with the potential for high wind speeds, contribute to the elevated and critical risk for fire weather. Wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour are possible Thursday, the NWS predicts.
Kansas City’s weather forecast
Thursday will be sunny with a high near 71 degrees, the NWS forecast shows. The overnight low will be around 47 degrees.
The metro is experiencing low humidity which is expected to continue through the weekend. Hazardous fire conditions are also possible Friday.
The forecast shows another sunny day Friday with a high near 73 degrees. The rest of the weekend will be fair weather with a high in the low 70s, the forecast predicts.
Drought conditions could improve early next week. Light rain is possible Monday, with a quarter-inch possible in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
