Wichita KS Experiencing The Driest Winter In Nearly 100 Years; 13,000 Acres Statewide Burned To Date

Last edited Mon Mar 19, 2018, 08:50 AM - Edit history (1)

Dozens of wildfires burned thousands of acres across Kansas on Thursday, as strong winds and dry conditions continued to make the Sunflower State a massive tinder box. The threat for more fires will only increase on Friday, weather officials say, with 'catastrophic' conditions in place thanks to temperatures in the 70s and winds that will top 40 miles an hour at times.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from Friday morning in through the evening in parts of eastern Kansas and all afternoon and early evening in all of southeast Kansas. A total of 36 counties are in the warning zone, including the Wichita metropolitan area.

State officials tracked 45 fires across the state on Thursday alone, with several of them breaking out in the Kansas City area. The fires burned an estimated 13,000 acres, and many remained active or out of control.

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The only part of Kansas that is not suffering from drought or at least abnormal dryness is a snippet in the northwest corner of the state, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday. Nearly 20 percent of the state is enduring either exceptional or extreme drought, stretching along and south of the Arkansas River from just west of Wichita to the Colorado line.

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http://www.kansas.com/news/weather/article205426754.html