More than 400 flights were delayed at Denver International Airport on Monday morning as strong winds blew across most of eastern Colorado.
As of 11:15 a.m., 410 flights were delayed, according to flight tracking site Flight Aware. Nearly half of the delayed flights were through Southwest Airlines, the site said.
Southwest had 264 flights delayed, which accounts for 48% of its traffic through the airport, followed by United Airlines with 66, SkyWest with 25, Frontier with 21 and American Airlines with 11.
The gusty winds also made for critical fire danger along the Front Range and most of the Eastern Plains.
Combined with warm temperatures and low relative humidity, strong winds can cause fires to grow rapidly and carry embers long distances, potentially igniting new fires.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for areas along the Front Range and most of the Eastern Plains through 6 p.m. Monday. Expect strong winds, with gusts between 40 and 50 mph, the service said.
Fire crews Monday were still working to control a 168-acre wind-fueled wildfire that ignited Sunday on the grounds of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Firefighters dropped 14,000 gallons of water on the fire that officials said Monday evening was no longer growing. Colder temperatures Tuesday will help crews control the fire, the U.S. Air Force Academy said in a news release.
The cause of the fire is unknown.