The NoCo Herald

Larimer and Weld counties, Colorado

Clear, 85° in Fort Collins at 3:40 PM. Forecast high 86, low 52.

Outdoors

Fire restrictions and wildfires, the aurora outlook, where the trout were stocked, what people saw in the wild and the avalanche danger, in Larimer and Weld counties.

Fire restrictions in Larimer County

ZoneWhereNow
PlainsBelow 6,000 feetBellvue, Berthoud, Fort Collins, Laporte, Livermore, Loveland, Masonville, Timnath, WellingtonFire restrictions
Foothills6,000 to 9,000 feetDrake, Estes Park, Glen Haven, Red Feather LakesFire restrictions
East DivideAbove 9,000 feetFire restrictions

As the county's fire restriction map shows them, with what each prohibits.

Wildfires

Glacier View ABC RX Fire

Larimer County · about 10 miles east-southeast of Red Feather Lakes · found Oct. 8

55 wildfires have been reported in Larimer and Weld counties in 2026; 6 reached ten acres or more:

FireWhereAcresFound
70s Ranchin or near Kersey50July 13
Sedona Hillsabout 7 miles west-southwest of Loveland12May 11
County Road 64about 4 miles east of Wellington70April 20
CR 386in or near Roggen40March 24
49about 2 miles west of Roggen368March 21
County Road 89about 10 miles east-southeast of Roggen1,092Feb. 17

Wildfires, not prescribed burns, from the interagency incident record; sizes are as reported, and a town is the nearest to where a fire started.

Aurora outlook

No geomagnetic storm is forecast in the next three days. The highest Kp forecast is 5.67, on Sunday, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., G2 (Moderate).

  1. Friday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Kp 4.67
  2. Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Kp 3.67
  3. Friday, 9 p.m. to midnight: Kp 4.67
  4. Saturday, midnight to 3 a.m.: Kp 3.67
  5. Saturday, 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.: Kp 3.67
  6. Saturday, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Kp 3.67
  7. Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon: Kp 3.33
  8. Saturday, noon to 3 p.m.: Kp 3.33
  9. Saturday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Kp 3.67
  10. Saturday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Kp 3.67
  11. Saturday, 9 p.m. to midnight: Kp 3.67
  12. Sunday, midnight to 3 a.m.: Kp 3.67
  13. Sunday, 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.: Kp 4
  14. Sunday, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Kp 5.67
  15. Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon: Kp 5.33
  16. Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.: Kp 4.67
  17. Sunday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Kp 4.67
  18. Sunday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Kp 3.67

SWPC's forecasters: “G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) geomagnetic storming conditions are expected late on 09 Oct and early on 11 Oct due to the anticipated arrivals of several different CMEs with some potential negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream influences.”

Nature notes

The week of Sept. 28: 853 research-grade observations of 326 species on iNaturalist in Larimer and Weld counties.

Most observed

First of the season

Every observation that week, on iNaturalist

A count is observations, not individuals. A first of the season was not observed in the 60 days before and was seen in these weeks in at least two of the last three years. A photo is shown only under a licence that allows it, credited as iNaturalist credits it.

From Larimer County's fire restriction map, read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.; the interagency wildfire record (NIFC's WFIGS), read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.; NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.; Colorado Parks and Wildlife's stocking report, read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.; iNaturalist, read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.; and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, read Oct. 9, 2:08 p.m.