Brace for high winds to hit Oklahoma late this week, especially on Friday and in the western part of the state where there is a Red Flag Warning issued by the State Forestry Service.
The arrival of a Pacific front will push dry air across the state coupled with very strong winds and above normal temperatures.
The Service expects the Red Flag Warning and strong winds to remain in effect for the next week. Storms will increase the dangers on Friday in combination with the extended drought in western Oklahoma. Any fires that occur, especially in northwest Oklahoma, will likely spread rapidly due to the wind and the extremely dry conditions.
Forecasters say the storms will be followed by a powerful dryline intrusion driving warm and very dry air across the state coupled with “very strong, gusty winds,” indicated the Forestry Service in a statement.
The strong winds and dry conditions prompted the Forestry Service to state, “We have introduced moderate potential for significant fire (>5,000 acres) occurrence spanning from west-central Oklahoma north of I-44 into the Flint Hills and northeastern Oklahoma where the low-level thermal ridge will support the highest fire behavior indices during peak burning conditions.”