First published Oct 16, 2026, 11:45:15 PM UTC · Last updated Oct 17, 2026, 12:07:15 AM UTC

NWS Lake Charles Red Flag Warning for portions of Southeast Texas and central and southwest Louisiana, October 16–17

Event: Red Flag Warning. Affected area: Vernon; Rapides; Avoyelles; Beauregard; Tyler; Northern Jasper; Northern Newton. Severity: Severe; urgency: Expected; certainty: Likely. ...RED FLAG WARNING FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... .Breezy and dry conditions due to a frontal passage will combine with very dry fuels resulting in a period of high fire danger. Red flag conditions will develop across portions of central and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas Friday afternoon and evening, before winds decrease and humidity recovers some overnight. Red flag conditions will then be expected again across all of central and southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas during the day Saturday. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 8 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR HIGH WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS... * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 027 Vernon, Fire Weather Zone 028 Rapides, Fire Weather Zone 029 Avoyelles, Fire Weather Zone 030 Beauregard, Fire Weather Zone 180 Tyler, Fire Weather Zone 259 Northern Jasper and Fire Weather Zone 260 Northern Newton. * TIMING...For the first Red Flag Warning, until 1 AM CDT Saturday. For the second Red Flag Warning, from 9 AM to 8 PM CDT Saturday. * WINDS...North 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 30 percent. * TEMPERATURES...Up to 72. * IMPACTS...Any fire that develops will catch and spread

Why it matters

The warning states that any fire that develops could catch and spread under the described conditions.

Categories: severe-weather-and-natural-disasters, environment-and-climate

Generated scores

Scores are based on the cited reporting and use a 1–10 scale. Read the methodology.

Confidence: 7/10How certain the assessment is based on the clarity and evidence in the cited reporting.
Geographic reach: 3/10How widely the event reaches, from a local area (1) to worldwide impact (10).
Global importance: 3/10The event's broader significance, from limited importance (1) to major global importance (10).
Impact magnitude: 3/10The scale or severity of the real-world impact, from minor (1) to extreme (10).
Positivity: 2/10How harmful or beneficial the event is, from strongly harmful (1) to strongly positive (10).
Urgency: 7/10How time-sensitive the event is, from low urgency (1) to immediate attention needed (10).

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