Sunny blue skies and wind, with dry ground and grass, combined to create favorable conditions for fire, which looms as a threat Friday and into the weekend for residents of Denver and other Front Range cities.
The high temperature in Denver will hit 53 degrees Friday, increasing to 65 degrees on Saturday and 68 degrees on Sunday under mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service.
Around Colorado, the weather service Friday morning issued an air quality alert for areas west of Colorado Springs where a wildfire burning near Lake George in Park and Teller counties was kicking up smoke.
Humidity as low as 10% across the high plains means any outdoor burning or sparks could ignite fire. Weather service officials issued a red flag fire danger warning covering Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and the southeastern quarter of the state.
A winter weather advisory warned of snow in Colorado’s western mountains, where up to nine inches of snow is expected in some areas, along with wind gusts at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, likely to create gnarly conditions on roads. Weather service forecasters also issued a high wind warning covering Front Range cities north of metro Denver to the Wyoming border.
