Matt Olberding

The potential wildfire risk on Tuesday in Nebraska could be higher than it's been in several years.

Caleb Brown, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in North Platte, Nebraska, says his office issued a critical fire risk warning for the first time since April 2014.

Red flag warnings, which signal a high risk for wildfires, are in place in a number of states ranging from South Dakota to Texas.

For NPR News, I'm Matt Olberding in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The gist of the forecast is we are expecting, you know, near record temperatures tomorrow in the upper 60s to 70s.

You know, relative humidity values as low as 10 to 15 percent tomorrow afternoon.

and winds from the west gusting as high as 50 to 55 miles per hour.