Today’s Forecast:
We are on Weather Alert here at KOAA due to an incoming wind storm tonight through Friday.
A Chinook wind event is going to bring damaging westerly wind gusts across southern Colorado tonight through the first half of Friday.
The strongest wind gusts will happen along and west of I-25. We'll see broad wind gusts in the 60 to 80 mph range in this region, with a few 100 mph gusts possible around the Raton Mesa Region.
We are expecting a combination of power loss, downed trees and tree limbs, and tipped-over semi-trucks. The time frame for the strongest gusts is generally anytime from 10 pm tonight through 12 pm Friday.
Fire danger will be exceptionally high with this wind event, especially during the daytime on Friday when humidity levels drop.
We really need everyone to get ahead of this event tonight. Put things that could blow over away, tie down or secure trampolines, and put away fragile Christmas decorations. Make sure your phone is charged in case you lose power.
DO NOT PARK UNDER TREES TONIGHT.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 55; Low: 38. Warmer and windy today with highs in the 50s. Tonight, a wind storm will move through the city with broad wind gusts in the 40 to 60 mph range. If we see 70 to 80 mph wind gusts, they're more likely for people living west of I-25 near the foothills and over by the Air Force Academy. Fire danger will be extremely high tomorrow, mostly in the daytime as the temperatures warm and the humidity drops.
Pueblo forecast: High: 60; Low: 37. Warm and breezy today with a high near 60 this afternoon! A wind storm will move through the region tonight with wind gusts in the 30 to 50 mph range. The winds won't be as bad in Pueblo or Pueblo West as they will be south in Colorado City, but fire danger will be high.
Canon City forecast: High: 58; Low: 40. Warm and breezy today with strong winds tonight and tomorrow. Wind gusts will be in the 40 to 50 mph range, which could lead to some power line and tree limb damage. Fire danger will be very high tomorrow through the daytime.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 48; Low: 27. Mild and chilly today with strong winds tonight and tomorrow. We'll see wind gusts in the 40 to 60 mph range, which means we could see limb and power line damage overnight through Friday. Fire danger will be low tomorrow, but we still want to watch out for any smoke in the region.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 50s; Low: 30s. Mild and windy today with damaging winds tonight and tomorrow. Wind gusts in the Tri-Lakes area could be as high as 85 mph, especially west of the interstate by Palmer Lake. Tree damage and power outages are possible anytime tonight after 10 pm and through most of tomorrow.
Plains forecast: High: 60s; Low: 30s. Warm and breezy today with strong winds and fire danger tomorrow. Wind gusts in the 30 to 50 mph range will blow across the plains late tonight and tomorrow. Blowing dust and high fire danger will be the primary weather story tomorrow in the plains. Some of the strongest wind gusts will be in Las Animas County.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 60s; Low: 40s. Warm and windy today with damaging wind gusts tonight and tomorrow. We'll see a wind storm bring 70 to 85 mph wind gusts along the eastern slopes of the Wet Mountains and Sangre De Cristos, with similar gusts from Colorado City through Trinidad. Semi-trucks WILL tip over if we see gusts over 70 mph tonight and tomorrow, and we will also see power outages and tree damage. Please do not park under trees tonight and make sure to put things away that could blow over.
Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 20s. Today will be mild and windy but a wind storm with blizzard conditions will hit the mountains tonight. Snow will be heaviest along in the central and northern mountains. Crested Butte could see over 5 inches of snow, with Vail around 2 to 4 inches through tomorrow afternoon. Blizzard conditions will impact the mountains due to strong wind gusts in the 40 to 60 mph range. We won't see much snow in our mountains, but we'll certainly see strong wind gusts. The Sangre De Cristos, Wet Mountains, and Wet Mountain Valley could all see wind gusts ranging from 50 to 85 mph tonight and tomorrow.
Extended outlook forecast:
As covered up above, the main story Friday will be damaging wind gusts and high fire danger. Travel along I-25 could be dangerous tomorrow morning near semi-trucks and other high profile vehicles, so give them space on the roads.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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