...Critical Fire Weather Conditions Forecast Thursday... .Dry conditions with RH values dropping to around 10% and winds from the southwest gusting up around 25-35 MPH will lead to critical fire weather conditions. Areas in eastern Colorado will see the strongest winds. A wind shift to the northwest is forecast early Friday morning and winds will rapidly strengthen. * AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 001 Cheyenne KS, 002 Rawlins, 003 Decatur, 004 Norton, 013 Sherman, 014 Thomas, 015 Sheridan, 016 Graham, 027 Wallace, 028 Logan, 029 Gove, 041 Greeley, 042 Wichita, 079 Dundy, 080 Hitchcock, 081 Red Willow, 252 Yuma, 253 Kit Carson and 254 Cheyenne CO. * TIMING...From noon MDT /1 PM CDT/ today to 8 PM MDT /9 PM CDT/ this evening. * WINDS...South 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 9 percent. * IMPACTS...Unpredictable fire behavior. Any fires that develop may rapidly grow and spread out of control.

* WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 20 possible. * WHERE...Portions of east central and northeast Colorado, northwest and west central Kansas, and southwest Nebraska. * WHEN...From late Friday night through Saturday morning. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Due to a warm early spring, green-up is occurring 2 to 4 weeks earlier than climatological normals and the growing season has begun.