Critical Fire Weather Watch Across Several States Today: Find Out If Your Area Is at Risk

Fire Weather Watch alerts are stacking up across the central and southern High Plains this weekend as a potent spring storm tightens pressure gradients, slashes humidity into the single digits and sends wind gusts toward 60 mph. Beginning late Saturday, the National Weather Service (NWS) has flagged much of eastern Colorado—including the populous I-25 corridor from Pueblo through Denver and Boulder—plus adjacent portions of Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas for critical fire-weather conditions. In response, Xcel Energy says a proactive public-safety power shutoff is “likely” for parts of Boulder and Jefferson counties on Saturday afternoon to reduce the chance of utility-sparked ignitions. WHAT A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS An NWS Fire Weather Watch is the 24- to 72-hour heads-up that temperature, wind and humidity may soon align with tinder-dry fuels to support explosive wildfire growth. If forecast confidence increases, the watch is upgraded to a Red Flag Warning, and any outdoor spark—from a dragging trailer chain to an untended campfire—can race out of control within minutes. WHY THIS WEEKEND IS DANGEROUS • Jet-stream support: A 115-mph upper-level jet streak diving out of the Rockies is driving a deep lee trough and downslope winds. Surface gusts of 40–60 mph are likely on the High Plains. • Desert-dry air: Afternoon relative humidity is projected to plunge below 10 percent in eastern Colorado, New Mexico and the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandles. • Dormant fuels: Cured winter grasses and storm-blown debris left by January’s ice storm are curing rapidly, providing fast-burning surface fuel beds. • Ongoing drought: Moderate to severe drought now blankets roughly 39 percent of the contiguous United States, including most of the watch area, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. REGIONAL IMPACTS ALREADY EMERGING Kit Carson Electric Cooperative has switched dozens of circuits in northern New Mexico to “non-reclose” mode—meaning they won’t automatically re-energize after a fault—to cut wildfire risk during Saturday’s watch window. Similar precautions are being considered by rural electric associations in Colorado and Kansas. Last month provided a preview of what’s possible: On February 17, extremely critical fire weather fanned hurricane-force gusts and single-digit humidity across a 1,000-mile corridor from New Mexico to Nebraska, prompting rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Red Flag Warnings and triggering several fast-moving grassfires. SAFETY & PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST 1. Cancel all outdoor burns, fireworks and grinding/welding projects until the watch expires. 2. Secure trailer chains, check tire pressure and avoid parking on dry grass. 3. Clean gutters and clear 5 feet of defensible space around structures. 4. Assemble a “go kit” with medication, documents and pet supplies in case evacuations escalate quickly. 5. Sign up for local alert services and monitor NWS radio or weather.gov for real-time warning upgrades. LOOKING AHEAD Forecast models keep a dry southwest flow entrenched over the southern Plains through mid-week, suggesting additional Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings may be needed. Residents from eastern New Mexico to western Missouri should stay ready for rapid changes—March is historically the most volatile month for Great Plains grassfires, and 2026 is off to an aggressive start.