NWS: Weather conditions elevate fire danger in area

The National Weather Service says that there is a risk of dangerous wildfires today.

Information from the NWS said that on Sunday afternoon, a combination of low relative humidity, warm temperatures, southerly winds, and dry conditions in parts of southeastern Minnesota and west central Wisconsin.

The areas impacted are along and north of I-90.

A large portion of Minnesota and northern Wisconsin are under a red flag warning which prohibits burning in most situations.

There may also be local burn bans or restrictions in place.

The same conditions are expected on Monday.

Due to the conditions, both the Wisconsin DNR and Minnesota DNR raised the wildfire threat levels.

On the Wisconsin DNR WisBurn site, it shows that La Crosse, Trempealeau, and Buffalo counties are listed in the High Fire Danger category.

Jackson and Monroe counties fall into the Very High Fire Danger category.

Areas to the south of La Crosse, such as Vernon and Crawford counties, are listed in the Moderate Fire Danger category.

The entire state of Minnesota is classified as Extreme on Sunday. The DNR listing means, “The fire situation is explosive and can result in extensive property damage.”

Like Wisconsin, there’s no open burning-although campfires are allowed but strongly discouraged.

It isn’t only Minnesota and Wisconsin that are affected by the red flag warnings. National Weather Service offices in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska issued the warnings to large portions of those states.