Image above from the National Weather Service in Rapid City, @NWSRapidCity
It was very, very windy in northeast Wyoming and western South Dakota from Thursday afternoon through the early morning hours on Friday. The strongest gust measured was 83 mph near Buffalo in northwest South Dakota.
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 74 mph or above qualify as “hurricane force”. In the chart above, 11 areas had gusts of 74 or more.
The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for areas in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri today.
As of 1:30 p.m. MST on Friday, we have heard no reports of large wildfires in the last two days in the greater Black Hills region. There were a few of less than three acres. The strong winds are continuing Friday afternoon, as you can see in the map below, showing wind gusts in the greater Black Hills area in the hour ending at 1:44 p.m. MST February 19, 2016.
