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Fire Danger Elevated As Drought Expands Across Colorado

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - It's hard to think about wildfire when the temperature is in the 30s.

But the reality is we have an elevated fire danger across a large part of Colorado right now, in particular, on the eastern plains where wind will be an issue over the next few days.

Drought has been expanding across Colorado in recent weeks due to a blocking ridge of high pressure over the west which is keeping major storm systems away.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of Nov. 30, a third of Colorado was reporting abnormally dry conditions with the western slope experiencing moderate drought conditions.

A new drought update is expected on Thursday, Dec. 7.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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