Extreme fire weather threatens Four Corners as wildfires spread west
Single-digit humidity and 55 mph gusts were poised to drive rapid fire spread across the Four Corners as Utah’s biggest fires kept growing.
Extreme fire weather conditions were expected to develop across the Great Basin and Southwest on Saturday, June 27, putting the Four Corners region in a sharp risk window marked by single-digit humidity, strong winds and dry fuels. In the Grand Junction forecast area, the National Weather Service forecast afternoon gusts of 45 to 55 mph that could drive rapid wildfire spread, and the local forecast for Four Corners and the Upper Dolores River called Saturday an extreme fire weather day.
Utah’s Cottonwood Fire had burned more than 71,000 acres and remained 0% contained, while the Iron Fire had burned more than 40,000 acres and was 38% contained. Ten large wildfires were burning in Utah, with combined acreage above 150,000 acres.
Critical fire weather conditions were expected to continue through the weekend and into next week. Poor overnight humidity recovery, worsening atmospheric conditions and dry fuels made fires capable of rapid spread in Four Corners and the Upper Dolores River. Dry lightning and holdover lightning-sparked fires could become a problem as the weekend progressed, especially where fuels were already primed to burn.
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction had a Critical Weather Day in effect from 12Z Friday, June 26, through 12Z Sunday, June 28, for fire-weather operations across portions of the Southwest and Great Basin. Red Flag Warnings were in effect through midnight Saturday for Utah fire weather zones 486, 487, 490 and 491, and parts of Colorado were under warnings on Friday.
Utah had not seen an extremely critical fire weather outlook since 2021. The National Interagency Fire Center’s June through September 2026 outlook had already flagged above-normal significant fire potential across parts of the West.
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