All outdoor burning is prohibited in Osage County today, Dec. 11, 2017, after the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for most of northeast and north central Kansas due to low humidity and expected gusty winds. Osage County Emergency Management suspended all local burn permits as the NWS issued the red flag warning that covers Osage, Clay, Riley, Pottawatomie, Jackson, Ottawa, Dickinson, Geary, Morris, Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Lyon and Coffey counties.

The red flag warning is in effect 10 a.m.-6 p.m., while the local burn ban will be in effect until 8 a.m. tomorrow unless extended.

NWS has forecast that it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Winds will shift to the northwest and strengthen by the early afternoon, with sustained speeds expected to be between 20 and 25 mph and gusts near 40 mph through the afternoon. Relative humidity will drop to between 20 and 25 percent just ahead of the wind shift during the late morning, but should gradually rise through the afternoon behind the wind shift.

A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will soon. The combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Fires could start quickly, spread furiously and burn intensely. All fires are potentially serious.

For more information, contact Bryce Romine, Osage County Emergency Management director, at 785-828-3323.