DENVER (KDVR) — Sunday night into Monday in Colorado is a tale of fire and ice, as dry conditions and gusty winds present dangerous conditions for fires, and a winter storm passing through the high country presents possible travel issues from accumulating snow.
Because of the high fire danger in the Eastern Plains and Front Range, Monday is a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day.
It all begins in the mountains overnight Sunday into Monday, where much of Colorado’s high country is under avalanche warnings. Snowfall is expected to taper off throughout the afternoon on Sunday, but gusty winds will continue and the snow is forecasted to restart in the mountains in the evening and continue through Monday.
The Park Range could get upward of a foot of snow on Monday, with wind gusts of up to 70 mph. The Front Range Mountains and Summit County are forecasted to see between 4 to 8 inches of snow overnight Sunday through Monday evening, with wind gusts also potentially reaching 70 mph.
However, Monday is a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day due to critical fire weather conditions. The strong wind, dry air and dry conditions on the ground could lead to rapid fire spread.
The wind is due to the warm weather that passed through Denver — as the pressure changes with a new system coming into the area, the winds will pick up. Behind the winds are much cooler temperatures — about 10 degrees cooler across the board than the weather was on Sunday. The Colorado State Patrol was warning drivers to prepare for the storm, which could impact travel through Tuesday.
“The current forecast is showing an additional cumulation between 4-10 inches across the northern and central mountains,” CSP posted on social platforms Sunday. “Plan ahead if you need to go out, go before the storm rolls in. Have an emergency bag in your vehicle with warm change of clothing, and top off any fluids such as windshield washer fluid if you need to head out during the storm.”
Fuel mitigation a year-round factor
In the Town of Superior, Community Park is temporarily home to 300 goats, courtesy of the Goat Bros, where the goats perform fuel mitigation duties for the next 90 days. After the Marshall Fire, municipalities like Superior have taken a greater interest in managing their vegetation, which helps in the long run when it comes to fire weather days like Monday.
“We take this seriously and we are doing everything in our power to get ready for anything that might crop up,” Rick Tillery with Mountain View Fire Rescue told FOX31’s Rachel Saurer.
Station 5 was ground zero three years ago during the Marshall Fire, and since it is still fresh in the minds of those who live nearby, Tillery said he wants the community to know they are ready to act.
“It is similar fire weather to what we saw the day of the Marshall Fire. Thankfully, the winds are not predicted to be as severe as they were that day. The humidity is not quite as low also,” he said. “We brought on additional crews for tomorrow for the Red Flag warning day. We are also bringing additional fire apparatus online too.”
The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for most of the Front Range and Colorado’s eastern plains beginning Monday at 5 a.m.
The warning stretches from the Wyoming border near Walden to the New Mexico border near Trinidad and is scheduled to last through 5 p.m. Monday. The National Weather Service in Boulder is forecasting northwest winds of about 30 to 40 mph, with gusts of up to 60 or 75 mph projected.
Portions of Front Range could have excessively high wind
However, there is an area of uncertainty stretching from southern Douglas County toward Red Feather Lakes in the Front Range area. The National Weather Service of Boulder said there is potential for stronger winds to develop in that area, with localized wind gusts “exceeding the high wind criteria” which is about 75 mph.
The weather agency warned that on the eastern plains, blowing dust will reduce visibility to “less than a quarter mile in places.” The organization also warned that the high winds could create difficult driving conditions, especially for high-profile vehicles like semitrailers.
The high wind warning largely coincides with the same area impacted by a Red Flag Warning, which was put into effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, due to the wind and low relative humidity on the southern Front Range plains and Interstate 25 corridor. Red Flag Warnings are issued when critical fire weather conditions are occurring or will soon occur.
The dry, downsloping winds will create opportunities for any spark or fire to spread rapidly. Due to this, fire bans have been activated in the Denver metro area. All areas served by the North Metro Fire are under a level 2 fire ban through Monday evening.
The ban restricts residents from all outdoor fires, grilling or burning unless the grill or fire pit is fueled by propane or natural gas that can be turned off with a switch or knob. Indoor fireplaces and electric smokers that do not use solid fuels are also exempt. A full list of what’s allowed and what is not is online here.
Xcel Energy is not planning pre-emptive power outages
FOX31 asked Xcel Energy about its plans to ensure power is connected to customers during the high winds. In April, Xcel preemptively disconnected thousands of customers’ power due to a strong wind storm. The goal was to prevent any power lines from sparking wildfires, and the company said in a plan proposed this summer that it would not shut off anyone’s power without 24 or 48 hours of notification.
Xcel told FOX31 that it would not be turning off power before the storm.
“Any outage caused by weather is unpredictable – in other words, we don’t know when or where they will occur, other than in the areas that are anticipated to get weather that would cause an outage (wind, blowing snow, etc.),” the power provider told FOX31. “We advise our customers to always be prepared for an outage, as they can also happen in good weather. We regularly provide this information through news releases when we know extreme weather is forecasted. It is also available on our website.”