Other endangered centers with higher populations include Albuquerque in New Mexico and Colorado Springs in Colorado.
“A dangerous and difficult weather situation will emerge today,” said the National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque. “Extremely critical time for a fire is possible today, when very strong winds will be combined with extremely low humidity, above normal temperatures and unstable air mass.
Some places in the southern and central high plains see “extremely critical winds” – meaning steady winds of at least 30 miles per hour – and temperatures were already 80 in eastern Colorado, the Storm Forecasting Center (SPC) said. in the Update on Friday afternoon.
More than 10 million people from Arizona to Nebraska are under the red flag on Friday, meaning conditions are ideal for starting and spreading wildfires.
“Any fire that starts will have the potential to spread quickly and will be difficult, if not impossible, to control,” said the NWS office in Boulder.
Relative humidity values of up to 5% and steady winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts of 60 to 70 mph are possible.
Scattered gusts of wind of up to 80 miles per hour could be seen in some areas, strong enough to knock down trees or knock down poles.
“These winds could potentially be catastrophic for ongoing forest fires or new fires,” the NWS in Albuquerque said.
Dry thunderstorms are also a concern, according to the VKP.
These thunderstorms can produce lightning, which can cause new fires, with very little or no rain. The area most at risk of dry thunderstorms overlaps parts of the “extremely critical” fire threat near the Colorado / Kansas border to the New Mexico / Texas border.
Much of the area is suffering from a prolonged, severe drought, which is a symptom of the growing climate crisis. The land area in New Mexico has more than tripled since January and now covers more than 60% of the state.
Friday is the seventh extreme fire threat since December, and the number of people in the extreme risk zone – 4.2 million – is higher than all the previous six combined.
There were only two extremely risky days last year. This was followed by seven in 2020 and 11 in 2019.
Colorado has experienced the three biggest wildfires in its history in the past two years, Gov. Jared Polis said Friday, announcing a forest fire preparedness package designed to provide relief to those affected by the fires and investing $ 15 million in tools to fighting future fires.
“We know this issue is not just about a fire,” Polis said. “It’s really about tackling the increased threat of fire. It’s a combination of climate, drought, increased population and increased use of our wilderness, all of which are talking together to lead to higher levels of risk than Colorado. has ever had in our history. “
More than 19,700 forest fires have been reported this year, more than every year so far in the past 10 years, according to the National Interdepartmental Fire Center. The average for 10 years for the period is 13,720.
CNN’s Brandon Miller contributed to this report.
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