DENVER — It's a one-two punch, Colorado! Here comes the smoke and high fire danger!
Smoke from wildfires burning in California will be transported to the state Thursday. The first wave arrives in the morning, ushering in moderate levels of smoke while the secondary wave brings thick, dense smoke to Colorado's skies during the afternoon and evening. Keep the windows up, and limit your time outdoors as air quality will be poor.
Along with the hazy, smoky sunshine, Thursday will bring all the ingredients for high fire danger. Temperatures will soar near record-levels in the low to mid 90s along with fierce southerly winds. Gusts will be up to 40 to 50 mph along the eastern side of Colorado throughout the afternoon. It will be incredibly dry as humidity values will be as low as 12-percent.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for much of the state from noon until 8pm.
Relief from the heat (and wind) moves in late Thursday as a cold front sweeps across the state. It'll bring highs in the low to mid 80s Friday with slightly warmer temperatures over the weekend. A few afternoon storms are possible Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of next week. The winds look to pick up again too, so we could be looking at more fire danger in the weeks ahead.
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