Another red flag warning for the Interstate 25 corridor will begin Friday morning days after strong winds posed a fire risk to the area and shut off power to thousands.

Southeast Colorado can expect humidity as low as 10% and northerly 15 to 25 mph winds through the late afternoon before 15 to 20 mph winds with up to 30 mph gusts pick up from the southwest.

The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a red flag warning for the area to begin at 11 a.m. and expire at 5 p.m. Friday. A fire weather watch is no longer planned to take effect in most counties.

Over 3.5 million people are under a critical fire risk from Cheyenne to Colorado Springs in a fire weather forecast by the NWS Storm Prediction Center. Wednesday’s fire risk was labeled as elevated, a step below critical and two below extreme.

The four red flag warnings issued by NWS Pueblo in December tie 2017 as having the third most issued in the month since 2010, according to weather agency data. The top ranked year for December red flag warnings is 2021 with 10.

On Wednesday, the entire Interstate 25 corridor along the Front Range of Colorado was placed under a red flag warning. Unincorporated El Paso County was put under burn restrictions as most of southern Colorado had high wind warnings amid the dry conditions.

Some of the strongest winds were in the Denver area, with some winds as strong as 90 mph. In southeast Colorado, two reports in Fremont County to the Weather Service recorded gusts upward of 90 mph, and Pikes Peak experienced a gust of 86 mph.

The winds prompted Pikes Peak officials to close upper portions of Pikes Peak Highway, stopping visitors at the 13-mile marker and preventing access beyond the tree line, according to reporting from Gazette news partner KOAA.

Over 6,500 Core Electric Cooperative customers were without service in Park, Jefferson, Clear Creek and Teller counties due to the winds, the company stated in a post on social media Wednesday afternoon.

Tens of thousands of Xcel Energy customers in northern Colorado had their power turned off Wednesday in a preventive move by the power company. The company is planning to cut off power to up to 64,000 customers Friday, according to previous reporting by The Gazette.

Another dry and windy day is expected tomorrow. Unfortunately this means another day of high fire danger, especially for portions of the Ramparts and down across the eastern plains. Continue to remain weather aware and avoid any activities that could start a wildfire! #cowx pic.twitter.com/N6aSQZZcbe

— NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) December 19, 2025