Swaths of burned forest from the Flanders Fire shown as darkened areas from above.
Image courtesy of Crow Wing County Sheriff's drone team.
Warm, dry, and windy conditions led to dangerous fire conditions across much of Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, May 15-16, 2026. Wildfires broke out in parts of northern Minnesota both days.
A series of disconnected weather systems and air mass boundaries created a complicated weather scenario for Minnesota. One system in Manitoba was producing strong winds with dry air, while other systems to the southwest of Minnesota were allowing warm air to spread into the region, but without any additional moisture. The result was an almost "classical" set-up for wildfire, with temperatures on Friday rising into 70s and 80s F, relative humidity levels falling to the very dry 15-25% range statewide, and with winds gusting to above 30 mph frequently, with some gusts above 40 and even 50 mph in rare cases.
The warm, dry, and gusty conditions occurred statewide, but much of southern and central Minnesota now has "leafed out" and therefore has water in the trees and standing vegetation. In northern Minnesota, however, the spring transition is not yet complete and the toasty weather occurred where many trees remained bare and therefore dry. Those areas were especially susceptible to fire spread.
On Friday, one fire broke out just northeast of Two Harbors and became known as the Stewart Trail Fire, affecting areas along and near Highway 61, which was forced to close for several days. The fire grew to just under 400 acres and burned 34 structures in the area. An even larger fire (the "Flanders Fire") began on Saturday east of Breezy Point in the Brainerd Lakes area, expanding to cover over 1600 acres . Other smaller fires started in northwestern and northeastern Minnesota as well.
Fires are not uncommon in late spring, immediately prior to green-up, because warm air masses lacking moisture at that time can result in nearly summer-like temperatures with very low relative humidity. A an even hotter pattern last year around the same time resulted in wildfires in parts of northeastern Minnesota.
Posted May 20, 2026
KAB