A Red Flag Warning for fire danger is in effect for Kiowa County Monday as near-record warmth extends into a second week, before a cold front arrives mid-week with a chance of rain and snow and a significant cool-down.

Monday will be sunny and breezy with a high near 86 degrees. West winds are forecast to increase to 15 to 20 mph through the afternoon, with gusts as high as 35 mph. The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Kiowa County from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, citing west winds of 15 to 25 mph, relative humidity as low as 9 percent, and a serious risk that fires will catch and spread quickly. Residents are advised to avoid all outdoor burning during the watch period.

"Critical fire weather conditions expand across southern Colorado valleys and southeast plains," forecasters at the National Weather Service in Pueblo wrote in Sunday’s Area Forecast Discussion. The discussion noted that southwest flow aloft will intensify through the day, and humidity values are expected to fall below 15 percent across portions of the region, with record or near-record high temperatures possible at several climate sites.

Tuesday through Wednesday: Front brings wind, rain, and cool-down

A cold front is expected to arrive Tuesday, pulling temperatures down sharply to a high near 67 degrees under partly sunny skies. Northwest winds of 15 to 20 mph will shift to the east by afternoon with gusts up to 30 mph. Overnight lows are expected to fall to around 33 degrees, with a 30 percent chance of rain showers before 3 a.m. giving way to a slight chance of rain and snow. Breezy conditions will persist through the night.

Wednesday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 59 degrees and a continued 30 percent chance of rain and snow showers, mainly before noon. East-southeast winds of 15 to 20 mph are expected to increase to 20 to 25 mph through the day. Wednesday night brings the best precipitation chance of the week — 50 percent — with east-northeast winds of 15 to 25 mph and lows near 29 degrees. Any snow accumulation is expected to be minimal at lower elevations.

Eads, Colo. — Five-day forecast (Mon. Mar. 30 — Fri. Apr. 3, 2026)

Source: National Weather Service, Pueblo CO — Issued Mar. 29, 2026

(Kiowa County Press)

Thursday through Friday: Warming trend resumes

Temperatures will rebound Thursday to a high near 74 degrees under mostly sunny and breezy skies, with winds shifting to the south in the afternoon. Friday continues the warming trend with a high near 75 degrees under sunny skies. However, south-southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected Friday, and forecasters’ Hazardous Weather Outlook notes that critical fire weather conditions could resurface Thursday and again into the weekend in southeastern Colorado, depending on how much moisture the mid-week precipitation delivers to dry fuels.

Extended outlook: Above-normal warmth expected to persist through mid-April

The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal temperatures for Colorado in both the 6-to-10-day period (valid April 4–8) and the 8-to-14-day period (valid April 6–12). Precipitation outlooks for the 6-to-10-day window favor below-normal totals for Colorado, with near-normal precipitation possible in the following week. The CPC carries above-average confidence in the near-term temperature signal.

Southeastern Colorado remains in the grip of significant drought that has worsened considerably during a warm and largely dry first quarter of 2026. The most recent Drought Monitor report, valid through March 24, showed severe drought or worse covering the vast majority of Colorado — conditions described as among the most serious since 2021. Governor Jared Polis activated Phase 2 of Colorado’s Drought Response Plan on March 16 and convened the state Drought Task Force. Statewide snowpack stood at approximately 54 percent of median as of late March, with no river basin in Colorado above 65 percent of average.

With above-normal warmth expected to extend at least through mid-April and near-term precipitation outlooks offering limited relief, drought conditions across the region are unlikely to improve significantly. The ongoing warm and dry pattern also keeps fire weather risk elevated for the weeks ahead, particularly when wind events coincide with low relative humidity over drought-stressed grasslands.