Colorado Faces Red Flag Warning Due to Hurricane-Force Winds

Colorado’s Front Range entered an unusually high-risk wildfire window on Friday, December 19, 2025, after the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Red Flag Warning that included a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” (PDS) designation for parts of the foothills.

Forecasters tied the elevated alert to hurricane-force wind gusts, extremely low humidity, and dry, receptive fuels—a combination that can turn a small ignition into a fast-moving, structure-threatening fire within minutes.

The PDS label, used sparingly by the NWS, underscored concern for the most wind-prone foothill corridors—particularly in and near Boulder and Jefferson counties—where downslope winds can accelerate and become erratic. In its fire-weather messaging, the NWS warned residents to be ready to move quickly: “In some cases, safe and timely evacuation may not be possible should a fire approach.”

What made Friday’s setup so dangerous

The NWS forecast called for sustained strong winds with gusts up to roughly 85–105 mph in the foothills and very low relative humidity that could dip into the low teens or even single digits in parts of the urban corridor.

Even where winds were expected to be lower than the foothills, the agency cautioned that gusts in the 25–40 mph range could still be enough—given the dryness—to support critical fire weather conditions.

National coverage emphasized how atypical the moment was for December: the AP described a “particularly dangerous situation” warning for the Front Range tied to very strong winds and low humidity, with gusts reported in the 105 mph range and impacts including downed power lines and outages

Local and regional reporting repeatedly drew a comparison to Colorado’s most notorious recent urban-interface fire event. The Washington Post noted the similarity to the December 2021 Marshall Fire conditions, when wind and dryness combined with devastating consequences, and highlighted humidity readings as low as about 8% in the Denver area.

Power shutoffs, closures, and the operational response

Utilities and local governments moved into mitigation mode as conditions intensified. Xcel Energy carried out public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) across portions of the Front Range—steps intended to reduce the risk of electrical equipment sparking fires during extreme wind. National reporting put the number of affected customers around 69,000 in planned…