Windy conditions today will bring elevated fire danger for the area.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of southeast Missouri and Cherokee, Crawford and Bourbon Counties in southeast Kansas from noon today through 9 tonight. Enhanced to near-critical fire spread rates will develop this afternoon across much of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas as well. Gusty southwest winds to near 40 mph and well above average warm temperatures are expected. The highest spread rates will be across northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas where humidity values will be lowest.