By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

Record warm temperatures will blanket much of western and central Kansas on Thursday.

Meteorologist Ray Burgert with the National Weather Service in Dodge City said a dry-line will move across western Kansas. Behind that dry-line, temperatures will soar into the 70s and 80s Thursday afternoon.

Burgert said it is not unusual in February to see a warm-up at this time of year before a cold front returns to the central plains.

“The warm-up during either late January or into February is not completely unusual,” said Burgert. But the “warmth is.”

Part of the warm-up will include windy conditions, Burgert said, noting wind gusts up to 40 and 45 mph can be expected in the Hays area.

The high temperatures combined with the heat and dry conditions will create an increased fire danger. Counties from west Texas and southeast New Mexico through eastern Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and western Missouri and northwest Arkansas are all under a red flag warning on Thursday.

A red flag warning means that critical fire conditions are occurring and outdoor burning should not be postponed.

A weak cold front is expected to move into the region Friday, and temperatures are expected to return to near normal, around 50 this weekend and at the beginning of next week.