Extreme Winds and Low Humidity Could Ignite Rapid Fire Spread Across the Front Range
Boulder and much of the Front Range are heading into an unusual and potentially dangerous stretch of weather. The National Weather Service Denver/Boulder office has issued a Fire Weather Watch covering Boulder County below 6,000 feet, portions of Jefferson County, West Broomfield, and several surrounding fire weather zones along the urban corridor and eastern plains.
This alert signals the possibility of critical to extreme fire weather conditions beginning Sunday and continuing through mid-week, with the highest risk expected Tuesday.
What’s Driving the Concern?
Forecast models indicate a dangerous combination of:
- West winds sustained at 30–40 mph
- Wind gusts potentially reaching 60 mph
- Relative humidity dropping as low as 13%
- Unseasonably warm and dry conditions
When strong winds combine with extremely low humidity and dry fuels, even a small spark can spread rapidly. Winter may still be on the calendar, but recent dry patterns have left grasses and surface fuels highly receptive to ignition…