Today’s Forecast:
Fire danger is back in southern Colorado with very strong to damaging winds through the morning.
Red Flag Warnings are widespread today from southern El Paso county down through Las Animas county, west into the San Luis Valley, and east through Kansas. A combination of low daytime humidity and strong winds means a new fire could easily spark and existing fires from Friday could flare up again.
High Wind Warnings are in effect locally in El Paso County as well as Huerfano and western Las Animas counties. Winds could gust into the 70 mph range through 8 to 10 am in these ares, which could cause damage such as tree, fence, roof, or tipped semi-trucks.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 63; Low: 32. Strong to dangerous wind gusts will happen along the west side of Colorado Springs through mid-morning with 65 to 75 mph gusts reported at Cheyenne Mountain and the Air Force Academy. The winds will generally fall into the 20 to 40 mph range through the afternoon but with high fire danger as humidity values fall below 10 percent. We will stay dry today with calm and chilly conditions moving in tonight.
Pueblo forecast: High: 71; Low: 34. Pueblo will see a cooler day with more strong winds and low humidity through the afternoon. Fire danger will remain high today and there will likely be more blowing dust. Wind gusts should max out in the 30 to 40 mph range.
Canon City forecast: High: 64; Low: 36. We'll be cooler today with more strong winds, blowing dust, and high fire danger. Wind gusts should max out in the 30 to 40 mph range today.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 51; Low: 27. Despite a lack of Red Flag conditions in Woodland Park, we'll be on the lookout for any flare-ups this morning from the existing fire near Colorado Mountain Estates. The winds will stay strongest this morning, gusting in the 40 to 50 mph range. We should stay mostly dry but there is a small chance of an isolated shower in the afternoon.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 50s; Low: 20s. We'll be much cooler today with strong winds west of I-25 from sunrise through 10 am. We'll remain windy through the afternoon, but the humidity will be high enough to keep the Tri-Lakes region out of red flag conditions. The daytime winds will generally gust in the 30 mph range.
Plains forecast: High: 70s; Low: 30s. Another high fire danger day across the plains with strong winds, really low daytime humidity, and plenty of dry grass for fuel. Blowing dust will likely be another issue today, but not as much as we saw on Friday. Wind gusts in the afternoon will generally stay in the 20 to 40 mph range.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 60s; Low: 30s. Really strong winds will blow down the mountains and across I-25 from sunrise through 10 am this morning. Gusts could be over 50 mph this morning, but in the afternoon the gusts will fall to the 30 to 40 mph range. We'll see MUCH LESS smoke today in this region, as the fires down in New Mexico will not blow smoke north into our region this afternoon.
Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 20s. Snow will continue to fall across the central, western, and northern mountains today with only a few isolated rain to snow showers against the Sangre De Cristos through the daytime. We'll stay windy and chilly in the mountains today but with less fire danger compared to Friday.
Extended outlook forecast:
Sunday will be much cooler with a chance of daytime and overnight moisture. We'll see late-day scattered rain to snow showers that will turn into snow overnight, mainly at elevations over 6,500 feet.
Monday will be chilly and dry through the afternoon with the rest of the week back to a warmer and windy trend from Thursday through Friday.
____
Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
