First Alert Weather Day Today

RAPID CITY, SD (KOTA)—The KOTA First Alert Weather Team has declared Sunday a First Alert Weather Day. Record temperatures could create heat-related woes for those engaged in strenuous outdoor activities, and the dry and windy weather spells out a risk for rapid wildland fire growth.

Temperatures in the upper 90s and even some triple-digit highs are on the table today. In Rapid City, this could break a 132-year-old record; 96° was the high set on this day back in 1892.

The age of that record tells us to respect the heat today by wearing loose-fitting, lightweight clothing if we’re out this afternoon and limiting strenuous outdoor activities such as long hikes and runs to the morning. If we’re heading down to the Volksmarch up Crazy Horse, get there early, bring lots of water, and follow the clothing tips I’ve mentioned.

The other dangers are the dry air and the strong breezes that will blow in an area that has already seen several helpings of dry and hot air to cure (or wring the moisture out of) those grasses and other vegetation types. Winds gusting 25 to as much as 40 mph – most substantial east of the Black Hills – will be present this afternoon and evening, coupled with relative humidity percentages in the teens and even single digits. This allows for rapid fire growth in the Hills or open prairie land. In Northeast Wyoming, we already have the “Elk Fire,” having charred 466 acres as of Saturday evening in the Big Horn National Forest in Sheridan County.

With lightning firmly out of the question as a starter for a fire, it’s up to us to prevent wildfires, to paraphrase Smokey Bear. Let’s hold off on those bonfires (no open burns) and limit any fires to the insides of our grills at home. Additionally, if you’re out and about, don’t park on dry grass; hot mufflers can easily ignite a fire! Farmers, check your equipment for spark arrestors. That apparatus is not usable without it on a day like this.

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