Today’s Forecast:
A significant weather switch is coming to Colorado. Here are the key messages:
- Critical and widespread fire danger in the southeastern plains - Pueblo County south through Las Animas County and east through Ben County.
- Wind gusts in the 40 to 50 mph range across the plains with blowing dust east of I-25
- Significant snow in the high country from the western slope through the Continental Divide
- Dramatic temperature drop with highs in the 30s Tuesday
Winter Weather Advisories and Winter Storm Warnings are in effect over the mountains with Red Flag Warnings locally in the plains.
Wind gusts will max out in the 30 to 50 mph range today along and east of I-25 with the strongest gusts likely staying east of the interstate.
Tonight, a large low-pressure system will drop a strong cold front with really cold temperatures and lots of wind. We could see snow showers in the Pikes Peak Region, but the main area of concern will be north of the Palmer Divide from Castle Rock, Denver, and Limon. Blizzard conditions north of the Palmer Divide could impact overnight and early Tuesday travel.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 55; Low: 22. Mostly cloudy, warm, and windy with wind gusts in the 30 mph range. Snow showers are possible overnight with gusty wind and low visibility. Snow totals in the city look very light, generally somewhere between nothing to 1 inch, most of that being north.
Pueblo forecast: High: 59; Low: 23. Cloudy, warm, and windy with high daytime fire danger. Wind gusts could blow in the 35 mph range with relative humidity below 15 percent.
Canon City forecast: High: 53; Low: 27. Cloudy, warm, and windy with elevated fire danger. Wind gusts will be in the 20 to 30 mph range.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 44; Low: 15. Cloudy and windy with chilly daytime weather. Wind gusts will be in the 30 to 40 mph range. Snow and gusty wind could create travel problems overnight with around 1 to 3 inches falling through Tuesday morning.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 40s; Low: 10s. Windy and chilly today with dry daytime conditions. Snow and gusty wind could create travel problems overnight with around 1 to 3 inches falling through Tuesday morning.
Plains forecast: High: 50s; Low: 20s. Cloudy, warm, and really windy with high fire danger and blowing dust. Wind gusts could be in the 30 to 45 mph range, especially out east near the Kansas border. Strong winds and blowing dust could lead to areas of low visibility.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 50s; Low: 20s. Cloudy, warm and windy with high fire danger. Wind gusts will range from 30 to 40 mph.
Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 10s. Cold and windy with gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range. We could see rain and snow showers over the San Luis Valley late today with accumulating snow along the Sangre De Cristos overnight.
Extended outlook forecast:
A powerful cold front will produce light snow with strong winds locally. We could see accumulating snow in Teller County and up around the Palmer Divide and Monument Hill. Snow totals look fairly low, generally in the 1 to 3 inch range from Woodland Park to Monument and Black Forest. Colorado Springs could see an inch or less through Tuesday morning, with a touch of snow east of El Paso County through Tuesday morning.
Anyone commuting to Denver, Limon, Fort Collins, or Sterling overnight and tomorrow morning will likely see blizzard-like conditions. Strong winds and accumulating snow could make travel impossible for some areas north of the Palmer Divide. Flights could easily become delayed or canceled tomorrow morning, depending on how much snow actually accumulates at the airport.
The rest of the week will be very cold with highs slipping into the 30s and low 40s for most of the plains. Additional snow in the mountains is possible this week, mainly Thursday afternoon and evening.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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