Red flag weather warning issued for portion of southwestern Illinois. Here’s what that means
National Weather Service St. Louis has issued a red flag warning for critical fire danger from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday for a portion of southwestern Illinois as well as parts of central and eastern Missouri, including most of the St. Louis metro region.
At about 4 p.m., the weather service extended the warning eastward to include more southwestern Illinois counties.
Outside the warning area, there is still elevated fire danger but not as critical.
Lydia Jaja, a meteorologist at the weather service, said a red flag warning is issued when three criteria are met: sustained winds are greater than 15 miles per hour, relative humidity is less than 25% and 10-hour dead fuel moisture is less than 9%, which means that vegetation is dry.
“During these conditions, fire is very easily spread,” she said. Things as small as throwing a cigarette butt on the ground, idling a car in a field or having a barbecue can become dangerous very quickly, she said.
The weather service instructed residents not to burn leaves today. Jaja also said to hold off on any fires if you can, and to be careful with anything involving fire. Since it’s a big football day, if you decide to park in a field or grassy area, don’t leave your car idling because it could spark a fire, she said.
If a fire does get out of control, call 911 immediately to alert your local fire department.
This story was originally published October 21, 2023 at 11:15 AM.
