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Much of eastern Oklahoma received rainfall last week which has
enhanced the green up in wildland fuels. Unfortunately, very little, if any,
precipitation has been received west of the I-44 corridor which will allow high
to extreme fire danger to persist.?? Oklahoma
Forestry Services (OFS) reports that most of western Oklahoma has not seen rainfall
in seven days with sizeable areas in excess of 25 days since significant
moisture.?? According to Oklahoma Mesonet
data, Roger Mills and Cimarron counties are in excess of 100 days without
precipitation, resulting in ongoing fire danger.
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???A roller-coaster of fire danger will be present all week,??? stated
OFS Fire Management Chief Mark Goeller.??
???The current weather forecast for the northwest one-half of Oklahoma will
cause fire danger each day to bounce between high and extreme.???
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A Red Flag Warning is currently in effect for the Panhandle today
from noon to 9 p.m.?? For tomorrow, the
Panhandle and twenty-four additional counties in western Oklahoma will fall
under a Red Flag Warning.?? In addition, a
high wind advisory has been issued for roughly the western one-half of
Oklahoma.?? The expected warm temperatures
and low relative humidity over the next few days will keep wildland fuels dry and
very vulnerable to wildfire.
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Extreme fire weather is expected tomorrow northwest of the I-44
corridor ??" from Tillman County to Tulsa County.??
Any new wildfire starts over the next few days have the potential to
exhibit extreme fire behavior including very rapid rates of fire spread and
potential for medium range spotting.
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In the warned area tomorrow, temperatures will climb to as high as
90 degrees under sunny skies with relative humidity in the low teens to single
digits. Strong south to southwest winds sustained at 30 mph, gusting to 50 mph
will have an abrupt wind shift to the northwest. These weather conditions pose
a dangerous situation for firefighters on the ground battling any blazes.?? Please avoid areas where smoke and fires are
occurring in an effort to provide quick access to responding incident
personnel.
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The Anderson Creek Fire remains at 95% contained and is now
approximately 367,730 acres.?? The
increase in acreage is due to a burn out operation conducted within the control
lines.?? Firefighters continue to mop-up
hotspots and monitor the fire by ground patrol.
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Citizens are urged to report any smoke or fires to their nearest
fire department. It only takes a spark to start a wildfire.
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Beaver, Harper, Cimarron and Texas counties have
issued county burn bans. For the most current information on burn bans, visit www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-information.
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Oklahoma
Forestry Services is the state's lead agency related to wildland fire
prevention, protection and use. For additional information about wildfires,
visit www.forestry.ok.gov/wildfire-information
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