Dry, windy weather raises wildfire risk in U.S. Southwest
The U.S. National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Critical Fire Weather Outlook for parts of the Four Corners region on Thursday, warning that hot, dry and windy conditions could significantly increase wildfire danger, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The forecast covers eastern Utah, western and southern Colorado, and north-central New Mexico, where dry fuels and strong winds are expected to create conditions conducive to rapid fire spread.
According to the outlook, southwest winds of 12-20 mph (19-32 km/h), with gusts up to 20-35 mph (32-56 km/h), will combine with extremely low relative humidity of 3-15% from late morning through the evening.
Forecasters warned that poor overnight recovery of humidity and 6 to 14 hours of elevated-to-critical fire weather conditions could result in prolonged burn periods, as vegetation remains exceptionally dry.
Meteorologists also noted the possibility of isolated high-based showers and thunderstorms across parts of northeast Nevada and northwest Utah. However, uncertainty remains over whether storms will extend into areas with more fire-prone vegetation.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the EU rolled out a record wildfire response for summer 2026.