Oklahoma in Red Flag Warning for Wildfire Danger

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(TNS) – After hitting record high temperatures Monday the Enid area is expected to see wildfire conditions reach critical levels Tuesday, then a return to winter conditions Tuesday night.

The Breckinridge Mesonet weather-recording station recorded a high of 86 on Monday, breaking the 128-year-old mark of 77 set in 1896.

Much of Oklahoma is in a Red Flag Warning from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to National Weather Service, as strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures will make the threat of wildfires a major concern.

According to NWS, west-southwest winds will be sustained at 20-30 mph, with gusts to 50 mph. The relative humidity could fall to around 17 percent, and temperatures will reach into the 80s again.

“Fire spread conditions, without getting technical, are such that if we have the winds and a fire gets going, it could move as fast as 160 to 220 feet per minute with flame heights as high as 10-15 feet,” Mike Honigsberg, certified director of Enid/Garfield County Emergency Management, said. “The height depends on the grass height upon ignition.”

Firefighters have prepared in case they are needed, Tuesday, he said.

“It will be a rough day if fires do occur in our area,” Honigsberg said. “We have our Garfield County Task Force ready to go if another county needs our services, but if a fire occurs here, they will be deployed locally.”

For Enid, the high Tuesday is expected to reach near 82 under mostly sunny skies, according to NWS. West-southwest wind will be 20-31 mph, gusting to 47 mph.

“With winds becoming very strong out of the west-southwest (Tuesday), we have a cold front that will be pushing in sometime late in the afternoon or early evening. When this occurs, and if we have ongoing fires in our area, the wind shift could cause a very dangerous situation for firefighters. This will be something that we will watch very closely.

“When the front moves in, westerly winds at 20-35 mph will become northwesterly at 25-40 mph with higher gusts, thus that danger.”

The low Tuesday is expected to be around 27, according to NWS.

The high Wednesday is expected to be around 46, according to NWS, with winds decreasing from the north at 6-15 mph, gusting to 23 mph, and switching to the east in the afternoon.

The low Wednesday is expected to be around 29, according to NWS. There is a 20% chance of rain and snow showers in the morning. The high is expected to be around 51.

High temperatures could reach to near 70 by Friday and to near 80 by Saturday, according to NWS.

Kevin Hassler is associate editor of the Enid News & Eagle .

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