The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for the northern plains of northeast Colorado, in effect from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. MDT Thursday, placing five counties on heightened alert as critically dangerous fire weather conditions take hold across one of the most fire-prone stretches of the state.
What the Warning Covers
The warning covers Larimer, Weld, Logan, Sedgwick, and Phillips Counties, where northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph are forecast alongside relative humidity levels as low as 9 percent. Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. The NWS is urging residents to avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a Red Flag Warning means critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly, and that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. At 9 percent humidity, the atmosphere over the northeast plains Thursday afternoon is operating at conditions far below what fire scientists consider dangerous — roughly one-fifth of what is needed to naturally slow fire spread.
A Season of Unprecedented Fire Danger
Thursday’s warning does not arrive in isolation. The National Weather Service has issued 114 Red Flag Warnings statewide in 2026, more than double the number issued by this time last year and the highest count year-to-date in at least two decades. Along the Front Range, the NWS Boulder office alone has issued 37 Red Flag Warnings this year, compared to 15 at the same point in 2025.
Brian Oliver, Division Chief of Wildland Fire for Boulder Fire Rescue, described conditions in stark terms. “It’s definitely not anything we’ve seen before. It’s been ridiculously dry, super low snowpack — we haven’t received the usual moisture we get in the mountains and foothills over the winter and spring months,” Oliver said. He added that an unprecedented high-pressure system had pushed temperatures to historic highs, calling the pattern “way out of the norm.”
Drought Deepening the Risk
The fire danger is being compounded by the most severe drought conditions Colorado has seen in years. As of late April, the entire state was experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions — 18 percent of Colorado was classified as being in exceptional drought, the most extreme category, while 58.5 percent was in extreme drought…