'Hot and dry': Weather update for the Alexander Mountain Fire area

As the Alexander Mountain Fire grows, conditions in the area are hot and dry.

“That’s the two downsides for firefighting efforts,” Paul Schlatter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said.

More: Live updates: Heat advisory issued as firefighting efforts continue west of Loveland

Schlatter said the area by the fire has a relative humidity of around 10%, which is “exceptionally dry,” and added temperatures were in the mid-90s in the Big Thompson Canyon below where the fire is. On Tuesday, conditions are expected to be similar, with temperatures around the upper 90s near the fire.

One of the “bad things about tonight is that normally temperatures cool at night and relative humidity comes way up," Schlatter said. "Sometimes we see well over 50% coming up — which helps keep the fire from spreading too fast. But tonight, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, 25% is what we expect."

On the flip side, winds have been fairly light, at 10 to 15 miles per hour, with occasional gusts up to 20, and it should be weakening as the evening goes on.

“Tonight, we expect west winds 6 to 12 miles per hour, so not quite as strong as today and certainly nothing on the higher end of wind speeds,” Schlatter said. “It should be good for firefighting efforts.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 'Hot and dry': Weather update for the Alexander Mountain Fire area