Critical fire danger warnings in effect since Tuesday are expected to expire this evening as winds calm down, but the risk of a wildfire will remain high across Colorado in the coming days, authorities cautioned.
Dry vegetation, low humidity and gusty winds on the plains and along the Front Range have raised the fire threat above average during a time of year that is already typically prone to wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center said this afternoon.
Last week’s 600-acre Lefthand Canyon Fire in Boulder County was a product of those conditions, the agency said.
The warm temperature could be an ally, however, helping green up vegetation and reduce the threat of a large, fast-moving fire, the agency said.
The National Weather Service expects daily high temperatures to remain in the upper 50 to upper 60s into next week.
The greening process could be slowed by the extended dry spell along the Front Range that began last fall, according to experts.
The longer-term forecast offers hope for relief.
“Despite the increased danger, climatologic data suggests that the wettest periods are still ahead of us, especially April and May, and a heavy wet snow will drastically improve the large fire risk over eastern Colorado,” Tim Mathewson, a meteorologist for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, said in a statement.
Despite a forecast high of 50 degrees Friday, Denver has a 50 percent chance of snow before 9 a.m., but less than a half-inch is expected, according to the National Weather Service.
More snow is expected north of the metro area, with a winter weather advisory in effect from 9 tonight until 6 a.m. Friday.
Three to 6 inches is expected in eastern Larimer and Weld counties, and 4 to 8 inches in the foothills of Larimer and Boulder counties, forecasters said.
