A fire weather watch was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 2:31 a.m. valid from Friday 10 a.m. until Saturday midnight for Northeast Weld County.

The NWS states that the warning was issued for wind and low relative humidity. Residents can expect winds to be today, northwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph. Friday, west winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 45 mph and relative humidity as low as 15% both days.

“Strong northwest winds will spread across the northeast plains after sunrise today, with gusts 45 to 65 mph creating critical fire weather conditions despite somewhat marginal humidity values near 20%. Early Friday, westerly downslope winds will bring strong gusts to the Front Range mountains and foothills, with potential for these to spread into wind-favored portions of the adjacent lower elevations. Peak gusts of 70-90 mph are increasing in likelihood for the windiest locations (considerably lower for areas along and east of I-25). With a warmer and drier air mass in place, humidity values in the teens look to extend into much of the foothills, and certainly across the lower elevations. Such conditions may be a longer duration than usual, with potential for low humidity to extend into the evening hours prior to the arrival of a front,” says the NWS. “Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.”

According to the NWS, a fire weather watch means that critical fire weather conditions are possible. Listen for later forecasts and possible red flag warnings.

Source: The National Weather Service