A red flag warning will go into effect from noon to 9 p.m. Monday for El Paso County, but the National Weather Service says the smoke in the air can be blamed on wildfires burning in Arizona and New Mexico.

Satellite images showed smoke traveling east into Colorado from north-central Arizona and northwest New Mexico, with gusty winds from the west and southwest pushing the hazy conditions as far as the San Luis Valley, said meteorologist Mike Nosko.

Colorado Springs police and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office had no reports of fires burning in the area Monday.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported the Regional Dispatch Center had received a high number of calls related to heavy smell of smoke and haze in the area Monday.

Temperatures expected to climb into the upper 80s, coupled with possible wind gusts up to 35 mph and low relative humidity levels as low as 7 percent throughout the Pikes Peak region prompted the red flag warning.

“Low humidity and strong wind gusts this afternoon and evening will result in high fire danger for El Paso County, which is the only area that currently has dry fuels,” the weather service stated.

Areas of blowing dust will also be likely across El Paso and Fremont counties, the San Luis Valley and portions of the southeast plains into the afternoon and early evening, possibly decreasing visibility to around a mile at times, especially before 7 p.m.

Overnight temperatures could dip into the low 50s with possible wind gusts up to 35 mph, the weather service said.

Photo via NWS Pueblo Twitter account