Strong southerly winds were creating blowing dust and low visibility conditions, along with an extreme fire danger in Kansas on Sunday.

Crews were battling a large grass fire along the Chase-Marion county line Sunday afternoon, and evacuations were ordered in rural areas with residents relocating to Dickinson County.   The Kansas Forest Service and Harvey County crews were called to help contain the fire.

Crews were working on a grass fire in western Grant County, Oklahoma, into Alfalfa County.  Oklahoma Highway 11 was closed for a time, but it was reopened late in the afternoon as crews worked on hot spots.

A Red Flag Warning was in effect until the early evening hours for central and south central Kansas, including the Wichita area.  A Dust Storm Warning and a High Wind Warning were issued for western areas of the state.   Wind Advisories and Blowing Dust Advisories were issued for central, south central and southeast areas of Kansas.

Wind gusts up to 70 mph were reported in southwest Kansas.  Visibility was down to less than a mile in some areas, and the Dodge City office of the National Weather Service was urging people not to travel.   Dodge City was reporting a wind gust of 62 mph, while Garden City reported a 55 mph gust.

Wichita had a wind gust of 49 mph early in the afternoon, while Salina reported 48 mph and Hutchinson had a 46 mph gust.

Evergy reported a power outage affecting around 3,000 customers in northwest Kansas on Sunday morning.   It was not immediately clear if the outage was due to the strong winds.  The area affected was centered along 21st Street North from Maize Road to Ridge Road.   Traffic signals were not working at some intersections, causing a backup of traffic. Power was restored by midday.

[ image:  National Weather Service ]