Red Flag Warning Issued for Colorado Springs and Southern El Paso County

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a Red Flag Warning for Southern El Paso County. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will develop shortly. The warning is driven by a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures that can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Affected Areas

The warning specifically impacts Fire Weather Zone 227, which includes:

• Southern El Paso County
• Colorado Springs
• Fort Carson

What You Should Do

Residents in the affected areas are urged to exercise extreme caution with any outdoor burning. Because of the current conditions, fires will catch and spread quickly. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are imminent; residents should also monitor later forecasts for a Fire Weather Watch currently in effect for Thursday.

Expected Conditions

• Winds: West winds between 25 to 35 mph are expected today, with gusts reaching up to 50 mph. On Thursday, west winds will persist at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.
• Relative Humidity: Humidity levels are forecast to drop as low as 12 percent.
• Impacts: Any fires that start will likely spread rapidly and exhibit extreme behavior due to the high wind speeds and dry air.

Timeline

The Red Flag Warning is effective from 10:00 AM MST this morning until 7:00 PM MST this evening, February 18. A Fire Weather Watch also remains in effect from Thursday morning through Thursday evening for the same region.