The National Weather Service in St. Louis has issued a Red Flag Warning for St. Louis County until 6 p.m. Feb. 26.

The red flag warning was issued for critical fire danger in eastern Missouri and western Illinois due to a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels. Fires that start in this condition have the potential to get out of control quickly, therefore people are urged to avoid activities that could result in inadvertent fire starts.

Winds are coming out of the south from 10 to 20 miles per hour, with gusts up to 30 mph. Humidity is low, about 24%, and with unseasonably warm temperatures in the upper 70s.

The areas under the warning include Fire Weather Zone 063 St. Louis, Fire Weather Zone 061 St. Charles and Fire Weather Zone 052 Lincoln, and in Illinois, Fire Weather zone 058 in Greene, Fire Weather Zone 098 in Calhoun and Fire Weather Zone 099 in Jersey.

Other affected areas in Missouri include Fire Weather Zone 018 Knox, Fire Weather Zone 019 Lewis, Fire Weather Zone 026 Shelby, Fire Weather Zone 027 Marion, Fire Weather Zone 034 Monroe, Fire Weather Zone 035 Ralls, Fire Weather Zone 036 Pike, Fire Weather Zone 042 Audrian. Additional locations in Illinois are Fire Weather Zone 095 Adams, Fire Weather Zone 096 Brown and Fire Weather Zone 097 Pike.