Tonight's Forecast:
Several cities in southern Colorado were close to, or tied record highs today. Colorado Springs hit 63 degrees. Pueblo topped out at 71, short of the record of 75 degrees set in 2009. And Alamosa reached 59 degrees tying the record set in 1995 and 2002. Official data hasn't yet come in for Canon City, but their airport reached at least 71 degrees this afternoon. The record in Canon City today is 72 degrees, set in 1918.
An upper level system is moving through Colorado tonight and will bring clouds to the Front Range corridor tonight. It will also bring notable downslope breezes. The most favored areas to see the stronger wind gusts in this set up are north of downtown Colorado Springs and west of I-25 (Air Force Academy, Rockrimmon, Tri-Lakes, with some spillover east to places like Briargate). We'll also see at least some downsloping in the Pueblo and Canon City areas and east of the southern mountains. Gusts should be between 25-35 mph for the most part. The main role they play tonight is in keeping lows mild.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 36; High: 65;
Partly cloudy through 4:00AM, then becoming mostly clear. West winds at 10-15 mph from downtown through the southeast. North of downtown, expect winds of 15-20 mph, gusting to 35 mph west of I-25 (Rockrimmon, Air Force Academy, Palmer Lakes). Some spillover into Knob Hill and Briargate with gusts to 25 mph overnight.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 34; High: 71;
Mostly clear aside from some high clouds from time to time. West winds at 15-20 mph, gusting to 30 mph primarily west of town (Pueblo West).
Canon City forecast: Low: 38; High: 71;
Partly cloudy early, mostly cloudy overnight, then becoming mostly clear by morning. West winds at 15-20 mph, gusting to 35 mph.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 30; High: 56;
Partly cloudy with strong wind gusts overnight. They may wake you up if you're a light sleeper. Winds west at 15-25 mph, gusting to 50 mph. Consider moving lightweight objects inside if you live in a particularly wind prone home.
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: 30s; High: 60s;
Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy overnight, then partly cloudy tomorrow morning. West winds at 10-15 mph with occasional gusts to 40 mph.
Plains forecast: Low: 20s; High: 60s/70s;
Mostly clear with west winds at 15-25 mph.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 38/36; High: 67/72;
Mostly clear with west winds at 25-35 mph, gusting to 55 mph. Consider moving lightweight objects inside if you're in a particularly wind exposed location. The wind may wake you up if you're a light sleeper. It also will lead to mild lows. Temperatures are likely to be above the actual low in the forecast when you wake up Monday morning.
Mountains forecast: Low: 30s; High: 50s;
Partly cloudy, and windy. West winds at 20-35 mph, gusting to 55 mph.
Extended outlook forecast:
High pressure remains the main story this week - bringing generally dry and mild weather to southern Colorado. Winds reduce Monday during the afternoon, and in fact some minor upsloping ispossible. As usual: areas that experience upslope breezes will see lower high temperatures than areas getting downslope breezes. The major cities should see downslope breezes before 2:00PM which will lead to a continued warm up. Within the Pikes Peak Region and Woodland Park, increased cloud cover that develops in the afternoon will put a damper on temperatures after that with temperatures holding steady in the mid afternoon. In the southern tier, downslope winds should win out making Walsenburg and Trinidad some of the warmer spots in the state Monday.
High pressure remains in place Tuesday with continued Spring-like warmth. In fact, highs will be similar to averages seen in early May. Tuesday is also the windiest day this week. It will lead to elevated fire danger, because the air will also be very dry. We'll keep monitoring it. Just know Tuesday is a day you'll likely need to be more mindful of outdoor burning or anything that could create a spark.
A dry cold front comes in Tuesday night. It'll bring some clouds, gusty breezes, and will lead to a seasonal - cooler - day on Wednesday. High pressure returns to end the week with highs returning to well above average.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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