Another round of high fire danger, severe storms forecast Tuesday. Here are the details
Several areas of Kansas including Wichita are poised to see yet another round of high fire danger Tuesday.
The National Weather Service in Wichita issued a wind advisory and red flag warning for most of Tuesday. A high temperature of 84 is expected with wind gusts of up to 55 mph.
A red flag warning signals that the combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts could spark a fire that could spread rapidly and become difficult to contain.
These strong winds will affect portions of central, south central and southeast Kansas.
A chance of severe storms also looms over part of the state from 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday. Large hail, damaging winds and “maybe a tornado or two” will primarily affect southeast Kansas with the greatest threat in far eastern Kansas, according to a hazardous weather outlook report.
The wind advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday and the red flag warning from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service web page on watches, warnings and advisories.
It should be cooler Wednesday, with 55 degrees for a high, wind speeds between 16-20 mph and wind gusts around 30 mph. Temps for Thursday and Friday are forecast to be in the 60s.
Friday saw grass fires erupt northwest of El Dorado. Some city residents were asked to evacuate as fire crews fought to put out the fires. A portion of the Kansas Turnpike near El Dorado was closed and about 250 elementary schools students were evacuated as a result of the fires.
Sedgwick County is currently under a burn ban for April. During this time, no open burns permits will be issued and no current permit holders will be allowed to burn.