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Fire risk high for Southwest Colorado by Sunday

The fire risk for Southwest Colorado will increase beginning Sunday as a storm bringing stronger winds is expected to move into the sun-baked region.

“The chances are very good we’re going to issue a red flag warning for Sunday,” said meteorologist Joe Ramey of the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service, which has already declared a fire weather watch for Sunday. “It looks like quite a windy day, so the warning would last from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.”

After a stretch of dry weather with above-normal temperatures, fires could grow rapidly and be difficult to control, the weather service said. A red flag warning is called based on expected afternoon high temperatures when winds of 25 mph or more occur over a three-hour period and relative humidity drops below 15 percent, Ramey said.

The Durango Fire Protection District cancels all burn permits for the entire day when a red flag warning is in effect, Durango Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Karola Hanks said.

The storm from the Pacific Northwest will move toward Utah and Colorado on Saturday, and a fire weather watch has been issued beginning Saturday for portions of Utah and northwestern Colorado.

“When the storm passes through your area late Sunday night, early Monday morning, it should drop temperatures about 5 degrees,” Ramey said. “That will keep the relative humidity up, not because you’re getting any moisture, but only because it’s cooling down.”

In Durango, sunny skies are forecast for Friday and Saturday, with high temperatures in the mid-80s.

Temperatures may be slightly cooler Monday and Tuesday, with predicted highs around 80 degrees, before they head to the upper 80s later in the week. The heightened fire weather concerns, while not necessarily reaching red flag warning levels, will continue through the week, Ramey said.

“That little monsoon surge you got over the Fourth of July weekend has been suppressed,” Ramey said. “There is some indication some moisture might return in 10 days or so, but that’s too far out to be confident it will come.”

abutler@durangoherald.com



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