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FNUS22 KWNS 180620

FWDDY2



Day 2 Fire Weather Outlook  

NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK

0120 AM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026



Valid 191200Z - 201200Z



...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...



...Synopsis...

Upper ridging across the West will slide eastward over the

Continental Divide as an amplified large-scale trough will traverse

the eastern U.S. on Sunday. Broad northwest flow will prevail over

the High Plains as surface high pressure shifts east and lee surface

troughing enhances fire weather concerns over the southern Plains.

Beneath the aforementioned trough, an associated cold front will

advance off the Eastern Seaboard as a dry and breezy post-frontal

airmass will pose an elevated fire weather threat across much of the

Piedmont and Southeast. 



...Central/southern Plains...

Dry return flow and lee surface troughing will result in continued

Elevated and Critical fire weather conditions on Sunday. A

combination of south-southwesterly sustained winds of up to 25 mph

(gusts up to 35 mph) and very low RH of 10-15 percent (single digits

locally) will pose a Critical fire weather threat over portions of

southwestern Kansas, southeastern Colorado, northeastern New Mexico,

and the OK/TX Panhandles. Poor overnight humidity recoveries and

mainly clear skies during the afternoon will further exacerbate the

fire environment amid 90th-97th percentile ERCs. High/mid-level

clouds will increase during the afternoon across West TX and eastern

NM, however, sustained surface winds from 10-20 mph with 10-15

percent RH atop dry fuels maintain an Elevated fire weather threat. 



...Southeast/Mid-Atlantic...

In a post-frontal environment, dry and breezy northerly flow will

develop east of the Appalachians into the Southeast on Sunday. 

North-northwest sustained winds of 10-15 mph and widespread low RH

of 15-30 percent atop exceptionally dry fuels will promote Elevated

fire weather conditions from the Mid-Atlantic to the Florida

Panhandle. Elevated highlights may be adjusted in future outlooks

depending on the anticipated rainfall on Day 1/Saturday into Day

2/Sunday morning.



..Elizalde-Garcia/Moore.. 04/18/2026



...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov/fire for graphic product...



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