COLORADO SPRINGS — A blanket of snow brings much needed moisture and offers a break from the series of Red Flag condition wildfire warnings over the past week.
"It had been almost a month since measurable snow in The Springs," said News 5 Meteorologist, Alan Rose.
This is likely a very short reprieve from elevated fire danger.
“We have increasing southwest wind,” said Rose, “That’s that Chinook, that dry downslope wind, and we’re back under high fire danger.”
The snow creates a wet barrier on top of dead and dormant grasses.
When the sun comes out the snow will melt quickly and the wind in the forecast can dry out the grasses in just an hour.
“With the sun, that solar heating allows the vegetation to then start to warm up and the slightest breeze can dry that out, particularly if we have low humidity,” said Colorado Springs Fire Marshal, Brett Lacey.
The conditions will persist for several more weeks.
When vegetation starts its springtime green-up it helps temper the fire risk.
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A family in Colorado City says illegal dumping near their home is becoming a safety issue
One official told News5 the trash piles could be infested with rats or other dangerous factors, so they are waiting to work with the health department to remove trash from the area.
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