Colorado weather: Fire danger makes way for snow, rain showers

Critical fire danger conditions will continue across central and eastern Colorado on Tuesday before snow and rain showers move into lower elevations from the mountains, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow will start in Colorado’s mountains Tuesday morning and rain will hit lower elevations Tuesday afternoon, according to a NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook.

Forecasters said a Red Flag Warning for heat, low humidity and high winds will be active from 10 a.m. Tuesday until 4 p.m., when the first rain showers are expected to start.

The Red Flag Warning covers Jefferson, Douglas, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Park, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Weld, Morgan and Washington counties.

“Conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread,” forecasters said in the warning. “Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.”

Rain will turn to snow on the Front Range and Eastern Plains after 9 p.m. as temperatures fall below freezing, forecasters said in the outlook.

The Denver area will see limited snow accumulation Tuesday into Wednesday, with most metro locations forecast to see between 0 and 2 inches. Other Monday morning snow forecasts include:

• Between 0 and 3 inches of snow on the Eastern Plains, including Akron, Limon and Crook
• Between 5 and 11 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass and Rabbit Ears Pass as well as at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel
• Between 4 and 14 inches in northern Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, including Milner Pass, Willow Creek Pass and Muddy Pass
• Between 7 and 19 inches in northen Colorado’s Park Range Mountains, including Mount Zirkel and Mount Werner
• Between 5 and 10 inches in Snowmass Ski Area and on Loveland Pass, Wolf Creek Pass and Vail Pass
• Between 3 and 7 inches at Keystone Ski Area and Copper Mountain
• Between 7 and 22 inches in western Colorado’s Elk Mountains, including Chair Mountain and West Elk Peak
• Between 10 and 22 inches on Grand Mesa Summit

Strong winds across Colorado could create white-out conditions, even in areas with minimal snow, forecasters said.