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A still image from video of a wildfire moving through Woodward County, Oklahoma, with heavy smoke during severe weather.
CNN
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Strong winds across the central United States this weekend are raising the risk of severe fires, closing roads in some areas and leaving thousands of people without power.
The combination of low relative humidity and strong winds creates an extreme fire weather threat. Fire danger levels are highest throughout the southern Plains and western half of the Central Plains. More than 10 million people were under red flag warnings across much of the Plains, almost from border to border.
Widespread fire danger will remain in parts of the Central Plains and Southern Plains through Sunday due to gusty winds, dry air, and the ongoing drought. The National Weather Service warned that even if a fire breaks out, it will be difficult to extinguish it due to strong winds.
Oklahoma firefighters were battling multiple wildfires across six counties Saturday in winds as high as 90 mph. CNN affiliate KOCO reported that planes were brought in to extinguish the fire, which continued to burn Saturday night.
Woodward County Emergency Manager Matt Rehenbauer told KOCO that a temporary evacuation order was issued due to one wildfire, and two firefighters were taken to the hospital with burns sustained while fighting the fire. Told.
“These winds, combined with very dry conditions, create favorable conditions for wildfires, particularly in the western portion of the Southern Plains,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
High wind warnings are in effect from Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains to central Nebraska and Kansas until Sunday evening, with wind gusts of up to 95 mph expected, the National Weather Service in Denver said.
More than 300,000 customers were without power in Colorado Sunday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
xcel energy colorado said before Power will be cut off to a limited number of customers in some areas due to “extremely strong winds and a high risk of wind-induced wildfires.”
It's unclear how many of the current power outages are planned and how many are caused by wind. Wind gusts exceeding 90 mph were reported in some parts of the state on Saturday.
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed some roads due to high winds.
The National Weather Service predicts stronger winds of 30 to 45 mph through Sunday from eastern New Mexico to eastern Nebraska, where high wind warnings are in effect. Stronger hurricane-force wind gusts are expected to reach 160 mph in hilly areas near Denver.
The heaviest wind gusts were expected to occur Sunday morning. weather service Said.
High wind warnings were in effect through Sunday for parts of Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that strong winds could cause damage to property and trees, power outages and travel difficulties, and advised people to stay indoors.
“Please stay on the lower floors of your home and avoid windows during storms,” the Bureau of Meteorology advised. “Be aware of falling debris and tree branches. Use caution if you must drive.”
Fire threats prompted emergency responses in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to state emergency management operations announcements.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday that she had verbally declared a state of disaster and authorized the use of state resources to provide assistance, according to a release from the Kansas Office of Emergency Management. The state's forecast calls for extreme fire weather in southwest and south-central Kansas, with low relative humidity and wind gusts of up to 55 to 60 mph.
“I urge all Kansas residents to refrain from burning during this time of extreme fire danger,” Kelly said. “By being vigilant, taking extra precautions and notifying your local fire department if a fire breaks out, you can minimize the risk of a fire getting out of control.”
The state's emergency response resources were activated in Texas on Friday, according to a release from the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM).
“Due to the expected high fire risk, state emergency response resources are being activated to support local wildfire response efforts,” Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd said in a statement. , confirming that communities are prepared for this weekend's significant bushfire threat.” “TDEM and our partners at the Texas Emergency Management Council stand ready to support local authorities in response to requests for state emergency response assistance.”
In nearby Oklahoma, the state emergency operations center was activated and multiple agencies across the state were working to extinguish wildfires, officials said.
Oklahoma has requested fire management assistance from FEMA to help respond to wildfires, Governor Kevin Stitt announced. “God bless our first responders and all Oklahomans at risk,” Stitt said. Said in X's post.
CNN's Chris Boyette, Sara Tonks, Paradise Afshar, Danielle Sills and Raja Razek contributed to this report.
