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Many western states face a particularly dangerous threat of uncontrolled fires on Friday due to a combination of fierce winds, extremely low humidity, high temperatures and drought. New Mexico and eastern Colorado are most at risk in a situation that forecasters describe as “terrible.”
Denver, Colorado Springs and Albuquerque are among the areas the National Weather Service has placed in its “extreme” fire risk zone, affecting 4.2 million people. Boulder, Colorado and El Paso are in a slightly less severe “critical” risk zone.
Numerous fires broke out in New Mexico and Colorado on Friday afternoon with gusts of more than 60 miles per hour:
- At around 3pm local time, the Albuquerque Office of the National Weather Service said a fire had broken out in the northeastern part of New Mexico in Union County and that another fire was “growing rapidly” in neighboring Harding County (southwest).
- At around 1pm local time, the Albuquerque office issued a warning about the Calf Canyon fire in San Miguel County, about 45 miles east of Santa Fe. He warned that the fire was spreading “rapidly to the northeast” and noted that evacuation orders had been issued for several surrounding communities.
- At about 1 p.m. local time, a fire in northern Colorado Springs, dubbed the “Farm Fire,” forced the evacuation of a farm unit. It was later extinguished.
Strong winds also blew up large amounts of dust, triggering warnings of dust storms and deteriorating air quality. “At 2pm, the Albuquerque air quality index is so bad it’s ‘beyond’,” tweeted Joe Diaz, chief meteorologist at the ABC Albuquerque branch. “In principle, everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels until conditions improve.”
The Albuquerque office warned early Friday that “there is great confidence that a widespread extreme and potentially catastrophic fire will occur.”
Discussing the forecast, the office wrote: “A severe weather situation is expected today, as very strong to harmful winds are developing, along with extremely low humidity, which will create extreme fire weather conditions.”
He describes the potential for “incredibly strong” winds, with widespread gusts of up to 60 to 70 mph and even a few cases of gusts of 80 mph.
“When it comes to wind and fire weather, there are bad days, really bad days and really, really bad days,” the office tweeted. “Friday will be a really, really bad day.”
We cannot overestimate how terrible and dangerous the meteorological situation is today !! Very strong winds, extremely low humidity, above normal temperatures and unstable conditions are the recipe for extreme fires.
The ongoing forest fires will spread and grow fast! #OneLessSpark #NMfire pic.twitter.com/WhfqQMwEgw
– NWS Albuquerque (@NWSAlbuquerque) April 22, 2022
The Boulder Meteorological Office, which serves eastern Colorado, issued a similar alarm.
“The expected speed of the strong wind will be catastrophic for any fires that may make it impossible to control forest fires,” it said.
Both offices urged residents to avoid outdoor burning or any other activity that could ignite a spark; otherwise the results could be “catastrophic”, the Albuquerque office said.
Boulder’s office issued a stern warning to residents: “If you live in a vulnerable area, it would be wise to have a bag ready with important documents, medicines and valuables in case of evacuation.
The same powerful system of storms generating dangerous winds over Colorado and New Mexico is expected to ignite strong thunderstorms from its warm side from Texas Panhandall to South Dakota. In the cold air of its northwestern flank, blizzard warnings are in effect in western Dakota and the northern Rockies for the second time in 10 days, with more than a foot of snow and gusts of 50 miles per hour to provide conditions for white.
The storm is fueled by remarkable temperature contrasts. On Friday afternoon, mercury will rise to record highs in the upper 1980s in eastern Colorado and the 1990s in the Central Plains, but fall to 20 in the northern Rockies and northern plains at night as the rain passes. in the snow swept away by the wind.
Red-flag warnings of high fire risk spread across southern Arizona to central Nebraska.
The threat of fire is fueled by a riot of dry air from the southwestern desert and strong winds that will turn the already dry landscape into a grass box. It is assumed that the percentages of relative humidity are transferred to single digits in many areas.
Even before this uprising of dry air, extreme to extreme drought covered much of the landscape. Some areas have received only about a quarter of the usual rainfall in the last 90 days.
Denver began its driest start in April since 1963 and has not seen measurable snow this month.
High temperatures, close to record highs, will worsen the situation by speeding up the drying of air and land. Denver is expected to reach mid-80s, the warmest day of the year.
The winds are driven by low pressure ejected from the intermountain west and glide north of the sandy hills of Nebraska, dragging a dry line east over the high plains. This is the front edge of the dry air descending down the mountains. This causes the air pocket to “drop” or heat up and dry out.
This descending air will accelerate to the east as a result of low pressure, spilling over the mountains and will contribute to strong winds with gusts of at least 40 to 60 mph. Warnings of strong winds cover much of central Nebraska and Kansas, Oklahoma Panhandle, eastern Colorado and most of New Mexico.
There is a risk of lightning in some parts of eastern Colorado and the western plains as thunderstorms erupt near the dry line, which can serve as a source of ignition for flames.
Here’s what you need to know about dry thunderstorms and how they increase the risk of forest fires
The winds will intensify after dark in many places behind a cold front, which will eventually catch up with the dry line.
The southwestern desert is already dealing with forest fires. As of Thursday, 10 wildfires were burning in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas; among them, a fire in a 20,198-acre tunnel northeast of Flagstaff that sparked evacuations and forced the closure of U.S. Highway 89.
Dangerous fire conditions will continue until Saturday southeast on Friday, with a “critical danger” zone delineated in eastern New Mexico and Texas and Oklahoma. Lubbock, Amarillo and Santa Fe are in this area.
The Arizona tunnel fire nearly tripled amid strong winds
The forest fire season in 2022 starts above average, with most of the activity concentrated in the southwest, plains and southeast. More than 832,000 acres have been burned so far, compared to an average of about 640,000 acres, according to the National Interdepartmental Fire Center.
Scientists have found that man-made climate change increases the risk of fire by raising temperatures, which dries out the earth’s surface faster and makes it more flammable.
On the north side of the low-pressure zone, moisture enveloping the northwest around the cool air dragging down from Canada will fall like heavy snow, which, combined with strong winds of up to 50 mph, will create snowstorms. storm. Northeast Wyoming, extreme northwestern South Dakota, eastern Montana, and western North Dakota are under warning of a snowstorm.
Rainfall will spread over the northern plains and parts of the northern Rockies on Friday night, initially starting as rain or a mixture before the freezing air becomes more deeply ingrained as low pressure intensifies. Saturday will be dominated by a rainbow of moderate to heavy snow in western Dakota, which will move for 12 hours or more in each area before slowly progressing east on Sunday.
Gusts of 35 to 50 mph, and possibly 60 to 75 mph in northwestern South Dakota, will lift freshly fallen snow and break anything that descends, leading to reduced visibility. As long as visibility drops below a quarter mile for three consecutive hours, as winds are often gusts above 35 mph, blizzard criteria will be met.
The combination of heavy, wet snow and strong winds is likely to damage the trees and cut off the power supply.
The northern plains, the northern Rockies face a second blizzard in 10 days
This is the second blizzard in 10 days for the Lower 48 North Headquarters; parts of western North Dakota saw up to three feet of snow last week. This time it looks like widespread snow from 8 to 14 inches, with pockets of a foot and a half or more possible.
Possibility for severe thunderstorms
On Friday, the Meteorological Service’s Storm Forecasting Center drew a 3 out of 5 “increased risk” of severe thunderstorms over central Nebraska, western Kansas and Oklahoma and Texas Panhandels. Amarillo, Texas; Kearney and North Platt, Nebraska; and Garden City and Dodge City, Can., are in the area.
Heavy thunderstorms will erupt along the dry line on Friday afternoon and evening from Texas Panhandle to western Kansas and southwestern Nebraska.
“Very heavy hail and destructive rectilinear winds are expected, in addition to at least a few tornadoes,” the Storm Forecast Center said.
Severe weather is expected in most of the southern / central high plains today. Strong thunderstorms that can damage the gusts of wind, large to very large hailstorms and several tornadoes will be possible this afternoon and tonight. See for more information. pic.twitter.com/jSa72cGKaR
– NWS Storm Forecast Center (@NWSSPC) April 22, 2022
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