MINNESOTA, USA — Hot, dry weather and a lack of moisture in the air have prompted authorities to issue multiple warnings to Minnesotans on Sunday.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for multiple counties in northwestern Minnesota, which goes into effect at noon on Sunday and will be in place through 9 p.m. The unseasonable temps and lack of rain we've experienced recently means that any fire has the potential to spread quickly.
According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the affected counties under the Red Flag Warning include:
- Becker
- Beltrami
- Big Stone
- Cass
- Chippewa
- Clay
- Clearwater
- Cook
- Crow Wing
- Douglas
- Grant
- Hubbard
- Itasca
- Kittson
- Koochiching
- Lac Qui Parle
- Lake
- Lake of the Woods
- Mahnomen
- Marshall
- Norman
- Otter Tail
- Pennington
- Polk
- Pope
- Red Lake
- Roseau
- St Louis County
- Stevens
- Swift
- Todd
- Traverse
- Wadena
- Wilkin
- Yellow Medicine
A Fire Watch originally expected on Sunday is no longer in effect.
In addition to the Red Flag Warning, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an Air Quality Alert for counties in the northern part of the state down into the southeastern corner. The alert begins at noon on Sunday and will last through Monday, May 29 at 8 p.m.
The DNR said burning permits won't be issued or activated in affected areas.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.