The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches for areas in Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Most of the Red Flag areas (in red) expire Tuesday evening, while the Watches (in yellow) are in effect through Thursday.
While the areas identified in Nebraska should experience record high temperatures on Tuesday, all areas have dry fuels, strong winds, and low humidities in the forecast.
The map was current as of 8:08 a.m. MT on Tuesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts.
The name of the fire northwest of Boulder is Wagon Wheel Gap Fire.
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Originally published at 10:07 a.m. MT February 10, 2017.
While Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Warnings are in effect in seven states, two fires erupted early Friday morning just outside the warning area in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado.
Before 7 a.m. a grass fire started near the 5000 block of Nelson Road west of Longmont that forced the evacuation of 125 homes. It burned two barns and a haystack before firefighters stopped it at 15 acres.
Just after 8 a.m. a second fire broke out northwest of Boulder near the intersection of Lee Hill Drive and Wagon Wheel Gap Road that required the evacuation of 157 homes. At the last report at 9:10 a.m. it had burned three to five acres.
There is no indication so far that the two fires, 12 miles apart, are related.
The video below shows the fire near Boulder burning in steep terrain.
Strong winds that pushed the fires have also toppled semi-trucks across the state and left 3,960 customers without power in Boulder County.
It is unusual to have wildland fires burn structures and require evacuations only an hour or two after sunrise in mid February. Much of the front range in Colorado has had less snow than usual. When I drove through the area a few days ago there was virtually no snow on the ground near Colorado Springs, Longmont, and Denver, and these are areas above 5,000 feet.
Most of the Red Flag Warnings were issued around 5 a.m. on Friday and will expire at 5 to 6 p.m. local time today, depending on the area.
Map showing the location of fires near Boulder and Longmont, Colorado.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings for areas in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri.
The map was current as of 11:35 a.m. MT on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
The map shows a portion of the areas under a Red Flag Warning in Texas and Oklahoma.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Maryland.
VIRGINIA: Relative humidity minimums ranging in the upper 20%s to low 40%s. NW wind 10-20 mph, gusts to 40. High wind advisory for the Southern Blue Ridge: NW Gusts 30-60 mph. GEORGIA: RH minimums low teens to low 20%s, NW winds 10-20 mph, gusts to 25. FLORIDA: Western Panhandle: Long duration teens to low 20%s RH mins. Wind moderately gusty to 18 mph. A few Central and Southwest Coastal Counties: Min RH low 20%s, North wind 8 to 12 mph. lowering during the day. Similar conditions expected Monday.
The map was current as of 9:05 a.m. MT on Sunday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Kentucky.
The map was current as of 9:45 a.m. MT on Thursday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Alabama and Georgia. Miraculously, Mississippi and Tennessee escaped the Red Flag Conditions.
The map was current as of 10:25 a.m. MDT on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
Above: The numbers indicate sustained wind speeds. The solid red areas are Red Flag Warnings. The lines show fronts. Reported at 12:40 p.m. MDT, October 31, 2016.
(UPDATED at 12:58 a.m. MDT October 31, 2016)
As weather fronts move across the Great Plains they are bringing strong winds today. Behind the trough (dashed yellow line) relative humidities are in the teens and twenties.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings for areas in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Colorado.
Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
Weather forecast for west South Dakota, northeast Wyoming, and northwest Nebraska, October 31, 2016.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado.
The Red Flag map was current as of 8:35 a.m. MDT on Saturday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
The National Weather Service has posted Red Flag Warnings or Fire Weather Watches for areas in Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Colorado.
The Red Flag map was current as of 10:03 a.m. MDT on Monday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps.
