Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDC) for rapid wildfire spread issued for Colorado’s Front Range
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Boulder issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDC) for rapid wildfire spread affecting the foothills and areas along Colorado Highway 93 through Friday, December 19, 2025.
Image credit: Reno Firefighters
Hurricane force gusts of 129–161 km/h (80–100 mph) along with sustained winds of 72–89 km/h (45–55 mph) are forecast across the region.
The strong winds, combined with near-record-low relative humidity of 8 to 20%, will create a particularly dangerous fire-weather situation in the area. The strongest gusts will be seen along Highway 93/US 36.
“We rarely issue these, but Friday will be a Particularly Dangerous Situation regarding potential for rapid wildfire spread in and immediately adjacent to the Boulder/Jefferson County foothills. Be ready to take swift action,” the NWS said.
Meanwhile, a High Wind Warning is in effect for the Mountains and Foothills along with Fort Collins, Longmont, Boulder, and the Western Suburbs of Denver through 20:00 local time (LT) on Friday.
A Red Flag Warning is also in effect for areas along the I-25 due to critical fire weather conditions being forecast.
The winds are produced by a powerful coast-to-coast storm that left one person dead and two injured in Idaho, and roughly 1.8 million people without power across the Northwest and the Rockies.
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I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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