ESTES PARK, Colo. — High winds and low humidity are prompting the National Weather Service to issue a fire weather watch for much of the Front Range and foothills Thursday.
The watch goes into effect late Wednesday night and lasts through early Friday morning, impacting Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson counties.
There is also a high wind watch issued for the same communities, particularly those above 6,000 ft., where the NWS is forecasting sustained winds of 35-50 mph and gusts up to 90 mph.
“Everybody talks about the weather, we talk about fire danger around here,” said Ryan Wilson, an Estes Park resident of seven years.
Wilson said he got a text from his wife on Wednesday asking if they were prepared for the upcoming wind event.
He says 2020's East Troublesome Fire, one of the worst in Colorado history, has changed the way people in town treat these events.
“You can't help but change your life when something like that happens in this town,” Wilson said. “A majority of the town had to, you know, evacuate and everything like that. I got married in September. I evacuated in October. So, you know, it's just kind of one of those things. You learn a lot from it.”
"Our whole downtown commercial area is right in the middle of the wildfire risk area,” added Warren Jones, chief of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District.
Jones said his volunteer fire department is on call and ready to assist as needed in the area. He said the team has been in constant communication with local officials to stay up to date and prepared for the high wind event.
"I've been in Larimer County for 40-some years, and I don't think that I've ever seen a year we've had so many wind events combined with warm temperatures and low humidity,” Jones said. “I know my colleagues down in Fort Collins and Loveland and Berthoud, they're really sweating even more than we are here.“
Xcel Energy officials said they will likely activate enhanced power safety settings (EPSS) in lieu of public safety power shuts offs, which have been scrutinized by lawmakers following backlash from impacted communities.
Earlier in the week, the energy company sent out an email announcing how the company was preparing ahead of Thursday.
“Despite the recent snowfall, dry fuels persist, coupled with high winds and historically low snowpack,” an Xcel spokesperson said in the email.
Estes Park is serviced by its own municipal power grid and is taking safeguards for Thursday’s wind event as well.
“As part of a wildfire mitigation plan, Power and Communications reconfigures certain equipment on its distribution lines to reduce the risk of sparking and igniting wildfires,” said the Town of Estes Park’s communications manager, Kate Miller in an email to Denver7. “One of the most important tips is to maintain extra essential supplies, a non-electric heat source, and backup power sources, which are particularly important for individuals who rely on medical equipment.”
On Wednesday, Larimer County emergency management officials briefed residents via Zoom on how best to prepare for the possibility of power outages.
It said oxygen is a major concern, and people who rely on it should keep a list of any medical equipment that relies on electricity. It also suggested getting a seven-day supply of medications in case communication is affected.
Anyone in the county can contact text NOCOPOWER to 888777 for updates.
DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.
