COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — It is fall and Red Flag Warning fire conditions have returned to Southern Colorado.
Windy conditions and wildfire risk are major concerns this time of year in Colorado.
“Some of our most significant wildfires have been in the fall, around the October time frame,” said Lieutenant Michael Evers with Colorado Springs Fire Department.
Five years ago, the East Troublesome Fire north of Colorado’s Grand Lake, doubled in size the day of a red flag warning in mid-October.
The fire continued to burn for another month and became the second largest recorded wildfire in Colorado history.
Fall typically has a high number of Red Flag Warning days in Colorado.
Fuels like grasses and brush are dry, and then the back and forth of cold at night and warm days can cause wind.
Another scenario is storm tracks that drop some snow in the mountains while bringing just wind to the front range.
“During those storm fronts we get those gusty winds that happen on the preceding and then trailing edge of the storm fronts that move through. So we, we spend a lot of time looking at the weather and determining what that's going to do for us for fire danger,” said Evers.
Destructive disasters like the east troublesome fire show why it is important to pay attention and be careful when red flag warnings happen in the fall.
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