'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Fire Weather Conditions Expected Today In Colorado, Wyoming Front Range

‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ In Colorado

An extremely dangerous fire weather day is ahead for communities in the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming.

Heightened fire weather alerts were issued by the National Weather Service through Friday evening.

"Today will feature what [the National Weather Service calls] a Particularly Dangerous Situation regarding potential for rapid wildfire spread. That's due to very high winds combined with an extremely dry airmass and near record temperatures."

Happening Now: Wind gusts of 75+ mph are already occurring. The strongest gust so far is 106 mph on Gold Hill, Colorado, at an elevation of 7,800 feet. Denver has already recorded a record high with temperatures continuing to drop.

The Big Picture: A robust low pressure system is moving through southern Canada. To the south, over the Rockies, strong winds moving from west to east will blast across the Rockies. A strong, dry downsloping effect will lead to extremely strong winds and very dry air on the Colorado and Wyoming front range today.

These conditions could lead to extremely rapid fire growth at any time today through mid- to late-evening.

At least one wildfire had to be extinguished near Fort Collins on Thursday due to strong winds. Conditions today are expected to be considerably more favorable for fire growth.

What You Need To Know: You should have your go bag with any essentials ready today. You can find a list that should be in your fire evacuation bags here. If you spot a wildfire or a downed electrical line, please call the authorities.

Xcel Energy in Colorado pre-emptively turned off power to some customers earlier this week to avoid sparking fires. Strong winds often bring down powerlines and that can create fires, which can spread rapidly on days like today. Additional outages are expected both from the incoming wind event and also as a safety measure from the power companies.

This area is familiar with fire events around the holidays. In 2021, the Marshall Fire erupted in Boulder County just before the new year and burned nearly 1000 structures. It killed two people. It is Colorado's most destructive wildfire.

The Details:

- Highs: Record warmth in the 60s to low 70s this afternoon. This is 2-3 degrees above previous daily record highs in Denver and Cheyenne.

- Humidity: Could drop as low as 8% around Denver, but will be below 15% for the Front Range and into the Interstate-25 corridor.

- Winds: Wind gusts will exceed 70 mph in the higher elevations west of Interstate-25 between Interstates 70 and 80, including Evergreen, Boulder, Estes Park and Jamestown, Colorado. Wind gusts on some peaks will eclipse 100 mph. Sustained winds are likely to be over 45 mph at times.