AIR QUALITY ALERT due to Wildfires in Nebraska - Red Flag Warnings issued for the region as dry & windy conditions continue

NWS – AIR QUALITY ALERT! - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Wildfire Smoke between 7 am & 7 pm (MDT). This is for Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Crowley, Otero, Kiowa, Bent, Prowers and Baca Counties. Locations include Fort Collins, Greeley, Fort Morgan, Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke, Akron, Yuma, Wray, Limon, Burlington, Cheyenne Wells, Ordway, La Junta, Eads, Las Animas, Lamar and Springfield.

*Smoke from out-of-state wildfires will impact the advisory area on Friday. Conditions will improve late Friday morning across northeastern Colorado, but smoke could linger into the afternoon across southeastern Colorado.

**Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and older adults. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Wildfires, highway closures, and Red Flag Warnings are the main issues as the weekend approaches across Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Three major wildfires are burning across Western Nebraska as of Friday morning, March 13^th.

There is the Morrill County wildfire north of Lake McConaughy, responsible for evacuation orders issued for several towns around the area, including Lewellen. Further east is the Road 203 wildfire and the Lincoln County Wildfire, just south of North Platte, Nebraska. Several roadways are closed south of I-80 due to the fires. There were mandatory evacuations in Larimer County in the noon hour due to a wildfire near Highway 287 and Sterry Lane, north of Fort Collins. Those orders were lifted at 1:18 pm, as crews from the Poudre Fire Authority were able to get the blaze under control. The fire did flare up again and restarted later in the afternoon in the same area, as several crews had to put out hot spots. The fire was caused by a downed power line, as multiple trees were also downed by the extreme winds. Heavy smoke is present in the region, as it can be detected as far south as Morgan and Logan Counties in Colorado.

The strong winds forced the closure of I-25, north of Fort Collins to the Wyoming State line on Thursday afternoon, as wind gusts as high as 90 mph were reported near Cheyenne, Wyoming, causing several semi-trailers to blow over on their sides. Colorado Highway 85 was also shut down for several hours north of Ault as well. The winds also caused the same issue on I-70 west of Denver in the high country. The entire region is dry, as there are fires burning in South Dakota as well.

*Red Flag Warnings have been issued for Friday & Saturday, March 13-14, for all of Northeastern Colorado, and portions of Nebraska. The Red Flag Warnings in Colorado will be between 11 am & 8-9 pm both days. Remember, a Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are occurring. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Winds are predicted to be out of the west between 15-30 mph with gusts between 20-50 mph, and humidity levels from 9-17% across the region. Please comply with burn bans and regulations. Avoid driving on dry grass or brush. Maintain vehicle brakes and tires, and secure tow chains to avoid dragging. Never toss lit cigarettes onto the ground.

Power companies such as Highline Electric Association, and Morgan County REA will be putting their safety protocols into place over the next couple of days. This means if the power goes out, the outages could last a little longer, due to the fact that crews will fully inspect the power lines before turning the power back on to prevent any sparking, or problems that cause another possible incident.

There is some relief, weather-wise, for Saturday night into Sunday, as a cold front will bring lower temperatures and a possible rain-snow mix to the area. Stay tuned to the latest weather forecasts for updates.