Elevated to critical fire risk - From Southwest to Miss. River Valley

Critical fire risk from parts of the Southwest to Kansas on Tuesday in response to strong winds and very dry air in place. Please make sure to limit activities that involve sparks or fires. Any fires could rapidly become uncontrollable.

The increased fire threat comes in response to a low-pressure system over the surface exiting the Rockies and an incoming upper-level storm that will move over northern Mexico on Tuesday. The strong winds from the southwest will dominate areas from eastern Arizona through the southern Plains and for areas along the lower Mississippi River Valley.

With the winds coming in from the southwest, temperatures have been rising. Afternoon average temperatures will be between 10-20 degrees above normal for this time of the year. Plenty of warmth will also contribute to the elevated to critical fire levels.

Wise County northwest of Dallas, dealt with a 265-acre wildfire on Monday. The fire was named Valentine's Day Fire and was about 90% contained by late Monday night. Reports stated the fire was coming close to homes and agriculture. Authorities continue to monitor the fire this morning and contain it to its perimeter.

Very dry air in place over much of warned area will allow fires to ignite easily. Relative humidity values are in the teens across much of the southern High Plains, with some areas that could come close to the single digits as the air dries even further as it moves downslope from the mountains.

Although relative humidity values will be between 20 and 30 percent across Oklahoma and Kansas, and with increasing humidity that could help part of Texas, due to some high clouds lingering over the region. The strongest winds will affect central Oklahoma and central Kansas. The strong winds and the marginally low relative humidity values will be enough to make any fires uncontrollable.

The lack of rainfall across the lower Mississippi River Valley is leaving lots of dry vegetation at risk for burns, and parts of Mississippi have experienced fires in recent days. Even though winds won´t be as strong as in the Plains, the dry vegetation and gusts up to 20 mph could be enough to sustain big fires.

Please make sure to limit all activities that involve fires or can spark, such as burns, barbeques, and throwing cigarettes outdoors carelessly. You should also avoid parking cars over dry vegetation as hot tailpipes could ignite fires.