Red Flag Warning Issued for Southern Colorado and El Paso County Through Saturday Night

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a Red Flag Warning for gusty winds and low relative humidity. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. The previously issued Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.

Affected Areas

The warning covers several regions across Southern Colorado, including:

• Fremont County: Including Canon City, Howard, and Texas Creek.
• San Luis Valley: Including Alamosa, Del Norte, Fort Garland, and Saguache.
• Southern Front Range: Including Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains, and La Veta Pass.
• El Paso County: Northern areas including Monument and Black Forest; southern areas including Fort Carson and Colorado Springs.
• Pueblo County: Including Pueblo.
• Huerfano County: Including Walsenburg.
• Las Animas County: Western areas including Trinidad and Thatcher; eastern areas including Pinon Canyon.
• Crowley County: Including Ordway.
• Otero County: Including La Junta and Western Comanche Grasslands.

What You Should Do

Residents are urged to prepare for critical fire weather conditions. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. The National Weather Service warns that under these conditions, fires will spread uncontrollably and be very destructive.

Expected Conditions

• Winds: For Friday, west winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph are expected. On Saturday, west winds will increase to 20 to 30 mph with gusts reaching up to 60 mph.
• Relative Humidity: Humidity levels are forecast to drop as low as 7 percent.
• Impacts: Extreme fire danger is expected across the affected zones.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is specifically in effect from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM MDT on Saturday, March 14. The alert was originally issued on March 13 at 12:33 AM MDT.