May 12, 2008 7:11 pm US/Mountain
Colo. Fire Danger Linked To Killer Tornados
Reporting
Paul Day
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
What's causing deadly twisters in the South and Midwest this spring is raising the fire danger in parts of Colorado, according to a local weather expert.
"It's more intense this year because of the storm track," said Bob Glancy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Four structures were destroyed in El Paso County over the weekend when a wind driven grass fire scorched 13 square miles.
Tornados in Oklahoma, Missouri and Georgia claimed 22 lives over the weekend.
Glancy, who trains weather spotters, says the deadly twisters are being unleashed by powerful thunderstorms created by lots of moisture colliding with unstable air.
But Colorado, he explained, is on the windy, warm and dry side of the storm track. It's why Red Flag Warnings were posted Monday morning for all of southeastern Colorado.
Colorado gets its share of tornados too, averaging 60 per year.
"Right here in Metro Denver, our tornados are going to be weak tornados," Glancy said.
The month of greatest activity is usually June.
"The stronger ones tend to be out on the plains closer to Kansas," Glancy said.
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