Red Flag Warnings take effect Friday across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and East Texas, where gusty north winds, low humidity and critically dry fuels will let any fire spread rapidly.
Three National Weather Service offices issued warnings Thursday. Outdoor burning is not recommended anywhere in the affected areas. A Fire Weather Watch is also in place for Saturday in parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and southeast Texas.
Shreveport: Arkansas, North Louisiana, Southeast Oklahoma, East Texas
The warning runs 10 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. CDT Saturday.
Winds: north at 10 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph.
Humidity: minimums of 25 to 35 percent.
Areas: south central and southwest Arkansas, north central and northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, and east and northeast Texas. This includes Caddo and Bossier parishes in Louisiana, Miller and Columbia counties in Arkansas, McCurtain County in Oklahoma, and Harrison, Gregg, Smith, Cherokee and Nacogdoches counties in Texas.
Jackson: Mississippi, Northeast Louisiana, Southeast Arkansas
The warning runs 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Friday.
Winds: north at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph behind a cold front.
Humidity: minimums of 25 to 40 percent. Fuels are critically dry.
Areas: central and southern Mississippi, including the Jackson metro (Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties), plus northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas.
A Fire Weather Watch covers the same area from Saturday morning through Saturday evening and could be upgraded to a warning.
Lake Charles: Central and Southwest Louisiana, Southeast Texas
The warning runs 11 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. CDT Saturday.
Winds: north at 10 to 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.
Humidity: as low as 29 percent, with highs up to 82.
Areas: Vernon, Rapides, Avoyelles and Beauregard parishes in Louisiana, and Tyler, northern Jasper and northern Newton counties in Texas.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect Saturday morning through Saturday evening for the same zones.
Safety Reminders
A Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are occurring or will begin shortly. It does not mean a fire has started.
Follow all fire restrictions and avoid anything that can spark a fire or create open flames. As NWS Shreveport put it: one less spark, one less wildfire.
Have multiple ways to receive information from local authorities. Fire Weather Watch updates for Mississippi are at weather.gov/jan/fireweather.
