Posted on: August 19th, 2020

Be alert, be prepared. For great information on preparedness, see the Office of Emergency Management at boulderoem.com Their Emergency Preparedness guide is full of useful information
Red Flag Warning
URGENT – FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
346 AM MDT Wed Aug 19 2020

.Moisture levels over northern Colorado are expected to increase
today which will cause the chance of thunderstorms over the high
country to also increase. Fuel moisture levels are very low in the
mountain areas due to a lack of precipitation over the past
several weeks. Recent forest fire activity in Larimer and Grand
Counties demonstrates how dry the forests are. As the chances of
thunderstorms increases today, the chance of lightning starting
additional fires will also increase. The main impact from showers
today will be gusty outflow winds from 30 to 50 mph possible.

COZ211>213-215>218-192215-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0021.200819T1800Z-200820T0200Z/
Jackson County Below 9000 Feet-
South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/
Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above
9000 Feet-Grand and Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet-
Larimer and Boulder Counties Between 6000 and 9000 Feet-
Jefferson and West Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet/Gilpin/Clear
Creek/Northeast Park Counties Below 9000 Feet-
West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet-
South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/
Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet-
346 AM MDT Wed Aug 19 2020

…RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT
THIS EVENING FOR THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND
HIGH PARKS…

* Affected Area…Fire Weather Zones 211…212…213…215…
216…217 and 218.

* Winds…North to Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 25
mph during the afternoon.

* Timing…This afternoon into early evening.

* Impacts…Lightning and localized gusty winds from
thunderstorms may cause new fire starts and rapid spread of
fires.

* Thunderstorms…Scattered thunderstorms are expected to move
over the mountains, high parks and foothills this afternoon.
They are not expected to produce much rainfall, so fuel moisture
levels will remain very low. However, Front Range foothills may
see some wetting rains due to higher moisture levels.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now….or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds…low relative humidity…and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.