Warm temperatures, gusty winds and lots of dry fuels prompted a red flag warning from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday for most of southern Colorado, including El Paso County, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

The Interstate 25 corridor from Monument Hill to the New Mexico border and the southeast Colorado plains were included in the warning.

A fire weather watch was extended until Thursday evening for the San Luis Valley and Las Animas and Baca counties, the weather service stated.

Westerly wind gusts up to 35 mph in some areas and relative humidity levels below 6 percent could cause any fire that sparks to grow out control extremely fast, the weather service said.

Dry and warm conditions are predicted to continue through the middle of the week, with temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s and clear and sunny skies. On Wednesday, a slight chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms after noon may help cool things down, with rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch in the forecast, the weather service said.