A wildfire flared up on the west side of Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, Saturday, April 16, 2011 (AP Photo/LM Otero).

Fire fighters have been scrambling this past week to keep up with wildfires that have ignited across the drought-weary southern Plains.

Until Saturday, the weather was not cooperating either, with strong winds fanning on the flames. The winds abated a bit during the first half of the weekend, providing crews with a brief chance to gain the upper hand on the fires.

The Associated Press reports that nearly 30 homes were destroyed in Wichita County on Friday. Also on Friday, a fire fighter was killed and several others injured while battling another blaze in Eastland County.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, four major fires in western Texas fueled by parched grassland have charred more than 400,000 acres since the first of them ignited last Saturday.

Travelers along portions of Interstates 20 and 10 will encounter smoky skies in the vicinity of the fires today.

Wildfires will remain a major threat from New Mexico and southern Colorado into Oklahoma and Texas this week. Persistent dry conditions and low humidity will couple with temperatures soaring as much as 10 to 15 degrees above normal over the next few days.

Extreme to exceptional drought conditions currently grip a large portion of the southern Plains, according to U.S. Drought Monitor. This has provided plenty of tinder dry vegetation to serve as fuel for any fires.

A series of storm systems will pass by to the north early this week. To add insult to injury, not only will the region miss out on any significant rainfall, the storms will stir up strong winds that could fan on the flames.

Later today, the winds will begin to pick up across the area. By Monday, gusts past 50 mph will howl over the Four Corners and western Texas, and the boisterous winds will target Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday.

Meteorologist Heather Buchman explained last week that the Plains have had the driest four-month period since before the 1930s Dust Bowl. On top of increasing the fire danger, the strong winds will also lead to areas of blowing dust that could significantly reduce visibility at times.