Red Flag Warning issued for counties in Southern Utah

A red flag warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for Washington, Iron, Kane, Garfield and Beaver counties.

The warning is in effect from 2 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

According to the National Weather Service, the area will experience southwest winds of 15-25 mph with gusts over 30 mph beginning Sunday afternoon and continuing through early Monday evening. The strongest winds will be Monday afternoon with gusts over 35 mph.

There will be an 8-14% relative humidity mainly during the afternoon and evening hours.

Critical fire weather conditions are possible, and fire starts could spread rapidly.

The warning affects fire weather zone 495 Color Country west desert, the fire weather zone 498 Grand Staircase, and Fire Weather Zone 497 in the Mojave Desert.