Today’s Forecast:
That's right, we're looking fire danger ahead of a major arctic air blast!
It's kind of crazy how warm we're going to be today ahead of the arctic cold! Highs will warm to the 50s and even a 60 in Pueblo thanks to the dry, down sloping winds. It just makes the crash to the negatives tomorrow morning even more impressive#cowx pic.twitter.com/iWaoOMcBE4
— Sam Schreier (@SamASchreier) December 21, 2022
Warm and windy downslope conditions will push temperatures to the 40s, 50s, and even a few 60s later today!
Red Flag Warnings will be in effect from Pueblo County south through Huerfano and eastern Las Animas County. Fire danger is high today due to the gusty west winds and low humidity.
Arctic air is still forecast to move in tonight with a mix of light snow and dangerously cold wind chills. Details on the arctic air are in the story below.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 54; Low: -8. Increasing clouds with warm and windy daytime conditions. Arctic air spills into the city after 6 pm tonight with wind chills between -20 to -30 at their coldest through Thursday morning. Light snow is also possible overnight with an inch or two north of Briargate and less than an inch by downtown.
Pueblo forecast: High: 61; Low: -9. Increasing cloud cover with really warm and windy daytime conditions. Red Flag Warnings are in effect until 5 pm tonight. Arctic air races through the city after 8 pm tonight with wind chills between -15 to -25 at their worst through Thursday morning. Light snow is possible in Pueblo but any accumulation would be under an inch.
Canon City forecast: High: 55; Low: -4. Increasing clouds with warm and windy daytime conditions. Fire danger is elevated in the afternoon. Arctic air spills into town overnight with wind chills below -10 through Thursday morning. A little snow could fall in Canon City but less than an inch of accumulation is expected.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 40; Low: -1. Cloudy and windy with mild daytime temperatures. Arctic air moves into Teller County overnight with lows around -1 by Thursday morning and wind chills below -10. Light snow is possible with accumulations between 1 to 2 inches.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 45; Low: -15. Cloudy and mild today before the arctic air and snow arrive tonight. Wind chills will drop between -20 and -30 degrees through Friday morning with around 1 to 2 inches of light snow.
Plains forecast: High: 40s & 50s; Low: > -10. Warmer and windy weather will increase fire danger for people living close to El Paso county and south through Las Animas County. Highs will be in the 40s and 50s through the afternoon. Light snow and flurries are possible overnight for areas north of Highway 50 with accumulations generally under 1 inch. The worst wind chills tonight will range from -20 to -40 degrees generally along and especially north of Highway 50.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 50s; Low: > 0. Warm and windy with gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range out of the west. Fire danger will be high in the afternoon. Arctic air will move through the region overnight with wind chills in the negative teens by Thursday morning. Flurries are possible but little to no snow accumulation is expected.
Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 0-10. Windy and chilly conditions today with arctic air tonight. The mountains and valleys are in a unique spot to actually sit above the coldest arctic air, which will be present east in the plains. We'll still see wind chills well below zero through tomorrow morning with temperatures in many mountain towns in the single digits or negatives.
Extended outlook forecast:
Thursday will see high temperatures from Colorado Springs to Pueblo stay at or below 0 degrees all day. Light snow will fall through early Thursday morning with blowing snow decreasing visibility.
As the winds die down Thursday night, the coldest air temperatures of this winter storm will take hold. Lows Friday morning will be in the -5 to -15 degree range with even a light breeze keeping wind chills down near -20 to -40.
Warmer weather will move in for the holiday weekend with highs in the 50s by Christmas!
____
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.
