Montrose Interagency Dispatch Area
Montrose - High Elevation
Monday, August 03
Today's Fire Danger is Very HighWhere 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 is Very High today, driven by critically low humidity and top-percentile fuel dryness (ERC 91%, BI 97%), with 4 of 7 local Watchout thresholds exceeded.
- Danger climbs through the week, reaching Extreme by Friday and Saturday as ERC pushes to 98%.
- Hot, dry weather persists — highs near 80-91°F, minimum humidity dropping to single digits by midweek, with breezy N/NNE winds and zero rain in the 7-day outlook.
- No Red Flag Warning is posted for today, but patchy smoke is expected tonight and Tuesday from area fires.
- Montrose County is under Stage 1 fire restrictions (Stage 2 begins Aug. 8); Ouray and Gunnison counties are already in Stage 2 — no open burning or campfires.
- The Gold Mountain Fire north of Ouray is 39,507 acres and 72% contained; the Elk Fire near Lake City is 2,349 acres and 49% contained — both hold area/road closures.
FEMS / NFDRS via BeWildfireAwareNational Weather Serviceweather.gov
NICC Incident Management Situation Reportnifc.gov
News Flash • Stage 2 Fire Restrictions Going Into Effectmontrosecounty.net
Current Local Info
Gold Mountain Fire
Burning north of Ouray on the GMUG National Forest. The incident team posts a video briefing most mornings (around 10am) — the player always shows the latest.
Elk Fire
Burning in the Uncompahgre Wilderness north of Lake City, near the Gunnison–Hinsdale county line. Live updates below from the incident's official Facebook page.
Pocket Card
Today's Conditions
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 | 3-Aug | 4-Aug | 5-Aug | 6-Aug | 7-Aug | 8-Aug | 9-Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective Fire Danger Danger | Very High | Very High | Very High | Very High | Very High | Extreme | Extreme |
| ERC-Y Percentile ERC % | 91% ▲ | 93% ▲ | 94% ▲ | 96% ▲ | 97% ▲ | 98% ▲ | 98% ▲ |
| BI-Y Percentile BI % | 97% ▲ | 93% ▲ | 98% ▲ | 98% ▲ | 97% ▲ | 94% ▲ | 94% ▲ |
| Temperature Temp | 82 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 79 |
| Relative Humidity Min RH | 14 ▲ | 15 ▲ | 9 ▲ | 8 ▲ | 8 ▲ | 10 ▲ | 13 ▲ |
| Winds Wind | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Wind Direction Wind Dir | NNE | NE | NNE | N | NNE | NNE | NE |
| Precipitation 24hr rain Rain | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1000hr Fuels 1000-hr Fuels | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 |
| Max Rh Max RH | 40 ▲ | 49 ▲ | 56 | 42 ▲ | 43 ▲ | 36 ▲ | 34 ▲ |
| ERC-Y (Actual Number 1-66) ERC | 42.7 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 51 | 52 |
| BI-Y (Actual Number 1-52) BI | 37 | 34 | 38 | 40 | 36 | 34 | 35 |
Fires to Remember
| Fire | Date | ERC | BI | Temp | Rh | Winds | 1000-Hr | Fire Danger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Line | 7/26/2023 | 91% | 88% | 82 | 15 | 7 | 12 | Very High |
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