LOOK: Monitoring Colorado Wildfires Via Awesome Online Map

Keep up to speed with Colorado's numerous wildfires with this awesome website. You'll have live updates as to the size and status of the fires.

The Fire Weather & Avalanche Center website offers real time info on conditions throughout the country. For those of us in the valley breathing smoke, this will give you a good idea as to the fire conditions in our area.

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First, the Bad News

As of 9:06 this morning (Friday, June 11, 2021) this website was tracking 1,035 wildfires across North America.

Here In Our Neck of the Woods

The Fire Weather & Avalanche Center Website offers up to the minute info on nearby fires including the Pack Creek Fire, Red Fire, and those just south and north of Grand Junction.

Tons of Info....Maybe Too Much Info

This site offers info regarding fires, contained fires, extinguished fires, even lightning strikes. The state of Nebraska looks like a paint splatter with thousands of lightning strikes.

The map's legend consists of numerous icons. Curiosity got the better of me, so I had to count them. I see a total of 47 different categories listed on the legend. In this case, you'll need a very sharp eye and the ability to discern between very subtle differences in the shades of colors. The distinction between a "Moderate Drought" and "Severe Drought" icon is pretty narrow.

Very Specific Data

This map goes so far as to make the distinction between fires based on how many hours old they are at the time. It even breaks them into categories indicating how many acres are involved. The site also distinguishes between "new" fires and "new" fires that are growing rapidly.

How About More Good News?

As of 9:31 this morning, the map does not indicate any "New, Fast Growing" fires in the state of Colorado. It does show ten fires categorized as "Out."

One More Awesome Feature

This map allows you to zoom in and out as you please. When isolating a particular area, the map will provide you with an exact count for the number of active fires.

This site offers valuable information at the low, low price of... FREE. If my mother were alive she'd be monitoring this site 24 hours a day. I'd be getting a phone call every five minutes with constant updates. This is a very valuable tool, so please keep it handy.