Montrose Interagency Dispatch Area
Montrose - High Elevation
Sunday, September 20
Today's Fire Danger is ModerateWhere Is This Area?
The Montrose - High Elevation Fire Danger Rating Area , spanning parts of Gunnison, Saguache, San Miguel, Hinsdale, Chaffee, Pitkin, Mesa, Delta, Ouray, Montrose, San Juan, Mineral, Dolores counties.
Communities in this area include: Gunnison, Telluride, Crested Butte, Ouray, Lake City, Mountain Village, Mount Crested Butte, Placerville. Rating areas are grouped by fire environment — elevation, fuels, and climate — not by town, so your community may sit in an area named for a different place.
Overview
Fire danger remains Moderate today, driven mainly by very low minimum humidity (24%), which trips one of the area's seven watchout thresholds.
- The 7-day outlook holds steady at Moderate through September 26, with ERC creeping up from 57% to 66% as fuels slowly dry.
- Weather driver: sunny, breezy conditions today (winds 13 mph) give way to cooler air and light rain chances midweek (up to 0.10" on the 24th), which should ease fire potential slightly.
- No Red Flag Warning is in effect; only 1 of 7 local watchout thresholds (low min RH) is currently met.
- Stage 1 fire restrictions remain in effect on BLM lands in Montrose, San Miguel, Ouray, Delta and part of Gunnison County, while the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests removed all fire restrictions effective September 3, 2026.
- Nearby: the Elk Fire near Lake City, CO is 7,257 acres and listed at 73% contained in today's sit report, with minimal ongoing activity.
FEMS / NFDRS via BeWildfireAwareNational Weather Serviceweather.gov
NICC Incident Management Situation Reportnifc.gov
Fire Prevention Order COS05-26-01Stage 1 Fire Restrictions -uncompahgre field office - West Slope Fire Infowestslopefireinfo.com
Burning Regulations | Delta County, CO - Official Websitedeltacountyco.gov
Cogmf Elk Fire Information | InciWebinciweb.wildfire.gov
Pocket Card
Today's Conditions
1 of 7 local thresholds met today
Weather & Air Quality
Local Thresholds
ERC > 90%, BI > 90%, Wind Speed > 15 Max Temp > 86, Min Rh < 25, 1000hr Fuels < 12, Max RH < 55 If three or more of the seven thresholds are met, consider it a watchout.
High Elevation FDRA Extended Forecast
| Indicator | 20-Sep | 21-Sep | 22-Sep | 23-Sep | 24-Sep | 25-Sep | 26-Sep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective Fire Danger Danger | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
| ERC-Y Percentile ERC % | 57% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 61% | 61% | 66% |
| BI-Y Percentile BI % | 69% | 60% | 56% | 56% | 58% | 58% | 62% |
| Temperature Temp | 61 | 64 | 61 | 56 | 57 | 55 | 57 |
| Relative Humidity Min RH | 24 ▲ | 19 ▲ | 34 | 44 | 40 | 52 | 42 |
| Winds Wind | 13 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Wind Direction Wind Dir | N | NNE | ENE | ENE | NE | NE | NE |
| Precipitation 24hr rain Rain | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.10 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| 1000hr Fuels 1000-hr Fuels | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
| Max Rh Max RH | 70 | 61 | 67 | 76 | 64 | 77 | 73 |
| ERC-Y (Actual Number 1-66) ERC | 23.3 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 29 |
| BI-Y (Actual Number 1-52) BI | 24 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 21 |
Fires to Remember
| Fire | Discovery Date | ERC | BI | Temp | Rh | Winds | 1000-Hr | Fire Danger | Max Rh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Line Fire | 7/26/2023 | 91% | 88% | 82 | 15 | 7 | 12 | Very High | 61 |
| Gold Mountain fire | 6/27/2026 | 94% | 100% | 73 | 12 | 22 | 11 | Very High | 73 |
| Elk Fire | 7/9/2026 | 97% | 97% | 77 | 16 | 15 | 11 | Extreme | 65 |
Local Fire Information
The High Elevation Fire Danger Rating Area uses the following Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) which are equally weighted in value, using Fuel Model Y (Timber) incorporating data years 2005-2024 are: Huntsman (52813), Lujan (54702), Needle Creek (54704), Taylor Park (52812)
If you are interested in having this data emailed to you daily as a PDF, please email: 38north.llc@gmail.com