South Dakota, Wyoming Fire Weather Watch | Effective 05/10/2026 11:08

...HOT, DRY, AND BREEZY WEEK AHEAD, WITH NEAR CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS BEGINNING MONDAY... .A near-critical to critical fire weather pattern is forecast to develop across western South Dakota starting Monday and continue through much of the week. The most critical days at this time appear to be Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. For Monday, A Red Flag Warning has replaced the Fire Weather Watch for several counties in western SD. Other counties in western SD are still in the Fire Weather Watch. These have been issued due to a combination of hot afternoon temperatures of 85 to 95 degrees, low minimum afternoon relative humidities of 12 to 18 percent, and winds gusting as high as 30 to 40 MPH. Winds will also see a shift from south to northwest during the afternoon due to passage of a dry cold front. In this environment, any new fires could spread rapidly and be difficult to control. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 319 Northern Black Hills, 320 Central Black Hills, 321 Southern Black Hills, 327 Butte County Area, 328 Perkins County and 330 Ziebach County. * WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 16 percent. * IMPACTS...The combination of hot temperatures, gusty winds, and low relative humidity would produce critical fire weather conditions. In addition, a dry cold front will cross the region from northwest to southeast between 2 PM and 8 PM Monday, resulting in a sudden wind shift from south to northwest and an increase in wind gusts. In this environment, any new fires could spread rapidly and be difficult to control.