Red Flag Warning Issued for Denver Metro and Northeast Colorado Plains Through Friday
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Denver area and northeast Colorado plains due to extreme winds and low humidity, creating critical fire conditions.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Red Flag Warning
- Affected area
- Northeast Colorado and Denver Metro
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Denver
Fire-weather notices describe conditions that can support rapid fire spread; they do not report that a fire is present. Check local emergency sources for any active incident.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Northeast Colorado and Denver Metro.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity. This alert indicates that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or are imminent. A Fire Weather Watch has also been issued for subsequent days.
Affected Areas
The warning covers a broad region of the Colorado Urban Corridor and northeast plains, including:
- Larimer County (below 6000 feet) and Northwest Weld County
- Boulder and Jefferson Counties (below 6000 feet) and West Broomfield County
- Denver, North Douglas County (below 6000 feet), and West Adams and Arapahoe Counties
- Elbert, Central, and East Douglas Counties (above 6000 feet)
- Weld County (Northeast, Central, and South portions)
- Morgan, Logan, and Washington Counties
- Central and East Adams and Arapahoe Counties
- North and Northeast Elbert County (below 6000 feet) and North Lincoln County
- Southeast Elbert County (below 6000 feet) and South Lincoln County
What You Should Do
Residents are advised to avoid all outdoor burning and any activities that may produce a spark and start a wildfire. Conditions are favorable for rapid fire spread. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Monitor local forecasts for updates and potential extensions of these warnings.
Expected Conditions
- Winds: On Thursday, west winds of 30 to 60 mph are expected with gusts reaching up to 90 mph, particularly near the Cheyenne Ridge. On Friday, west winds will range from 25 to 35 mph with gusts between 35 and 50 mph. Saturday may see gusts between 40 and 60 mph.
- Relative Humidity: Levels are expected to drop as low as 10 percent.
- Impacts: Any fires that start will likely spread rapidly and exhibit extreme behavior.
Timeline
- Initial Red Flag Warning: In effect until 9:00 PM MDT Thursday evening.
- Second Red Flag Warning: Effective from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM MDT Friday.
- Fire Weather Watch: In effect from Saturday morning through Saturday evening.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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