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DENVER (KDVR) — Weather and climate conditions have made this April a hot month for red flag warnings.

Colorado is meeting most of the major contributors for red flag warnings: warmer than normal temperatures, dry fire fuels, windier than normal conditions and low humidity.

Wind conditions are exacerbating fire dangers. According to KDVR meteorologist Chris Tomer, La Nina weather patterns have made Front Range windier than usual for the last two-and-a-half weeks. Furthermore, Denver recently slid back into a low-level drought, drying out fire fuels.

The number of red flag warnings this year has already outpaced the totals for entire years in some cases.

There have been 68 red flag warnings issued in Colorado this year, according to an Iowa State University weather database. This is not as many as most years’ total, it already surpasses the numbers from 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2015.

The bulk of these have fallen in April alone.

In the Boulder county warning area, authorities have issued red flag warnings 16 days to date, 14 of which have fallen in April.


In the Denver metro, authorities have issued red flag warnings nine days this year. This is the third-highest year-to-date total since 2006, following 2017 and 2011.