A red flag warning has been issued for Southwest Colorado through 8 p.m. Thursday, including southern La Plata County and the town of Cortez, according to the National Weather Service.
The warning was issued because of gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels in the region could lead to extreme fire behavior.
A cold front is expected to sweep through western Colorado late Thursday, bringing rain and possible mountain snow in the northwest and central mountains, the Weather Service said. There’s a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in Durango Thursday evening.
A winter weather advisory has been issued from 6 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday for parts of central Colorado, including Trappers Lake, Rabbit Ears Pass, Vail Pass, Tennessee Pass, Independence Pass and McClure Pass. Up to 8 inches of snow is forecast for areas above 9,000 feet elevation, with rain and thunderstorms forecast for lower elevations.
Temperatures are expected to cool in Durango on Friday, with highs in the upper 50s under mostly sunny skies. But things should warm back up over the weekend, with highs in the low 70s forecast for Sunday and Monday.
