DENVER – Thursday is likely to be the hottest day of 2019 so far in much of Colorado, and the temperatures, mixed with gusting winds and low relative humidity, will create conditions ripe for wildfires.
A red flag warning goes into effect starting at noon through 7 p.m. Thursday for parts of the northern mountains and northern Front Range foothills, including portions of Boulder, Larimer, Clear Creek and Summit counties, among others in the mountains.
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Winds will be out of the west at 10 to 20 mph and could gust up to 35 mph, according to the National Weather Service. After noon, humidity levels will drop below 12% and relative humidity could drop as low as 13%.
Fire conditions could also be ripe in the southern and central portions of the state Thursday afternoon.
Denver could break its record high for the date and could reach 100 degrees for the first time this year. If the high hits the century mark, it would be the 90th time Denver has done so since the late 1800s.
But the dry air will cool temperatures off after dark. Lows overnight will drop into the 60s at lower elevations and into the 40s and 50s in the mountains.
