Expected wind gusts and humidity below 10% has led the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning about critical fire conditions in Southwest Colorado from Tuesday afternoon to Tuesday evening.
The red flag warning is in effect for elevations of 8,500 feet and lower in Southwest Colorado including the Animas, San Juan, Dolores, Uncompahgre and Gunnison river basins.
The red flag warning, which includes Durango, Cortez and Pagosa Springs, warns of humidity from 10% to 15% and winds from 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph.
The fire weather watch issued for Monday was canceled after winds eased back from forecasts.
“Unfortunately, it’s looking pretty dry in your neck of the woods for at least the next week,” said Erin Walter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
A high-pressure system is building over the Western United States that should keep the Four Corners dry through the week. The system will be fully over the West on Tuesday, and it won’t be pushed out of the area until the end of the week.
Even at the end of the week, Walter said the low-pressure system that will move in will favor rain and snow north of Colorado. Northern Colorado has a slight chance of precipitation at the end of the week from the system, but it is unlikely to provide any relief for Southern Colorado, she said.
The good news from the high pressure building over the West, Walter said, is that it will likely ease the gusty wind conditions later in the week.
“With high-pressure systems, winds typically aren’t as strong, although it will still be very dry,” she said.
By the middle of the week, winds might be below the 25 mph gusts needed to issue additional red flag warnings, she said.
Lower elevations in Southwest Colorado could be looking at record high temperatures in the mid-70s for Durango and Pagosa Springs and up to 80 degrees in Cortez on Tuesday, Walter said.
Record highs could be set through the week with low 80s in Durango at the end of the week and highs in the mid 80s in Cortez by week’s end.
According to Colorado SNOTEL, the snowpack in the Animas, Dolores, San Juan and San Miguel river basins was 88% of the 30-year average as of Sunday.
The snowpack in the Upper Rio Grande basin was only 70% of the 30-year average as of Sunday.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
