Today’s Forecast:
A fantastic - but dry - weather Saturday is in store for southern Colorado. A strong dome of high pressure locked over the Centennial State will lead to sunny skies, and warm highs. We'll be in the 70s and 80s this afternoon, but humidity values will be in the single digits! If you want to get outside (and with today's forecast, you will want to), bring a nice big water bottle with you - you'll lose water very quickly in this type of weather.
Red Flag Warnings are in place today along and south of Highway 50, and for the San Luiz Valley. While humidity is low everywhere, winds are not strong enough for warnings to be issued region wide. Enjoy today's weather - but skip the outdoor burning. Curious about how to identify dry fuels? Check out my story on it here. Today - 1 hour fuels are the main issue.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 77; Low: 43.
Upper 70s today in the Pikes Peak Region thanks to weak downslope winds and southerly warm flow moving in! Today's normal high in Colorado Springs is 60 degrees - the record high is 83, set in 2006...so we won't be too far off (but we should be closer tomorrow). Very dry with humidity in the single digits this afternoon. Winds in the 15-20 mph range with some gusts to 25 mph.
Pueblo forecast: High: 83; Low: 41.
RED FLAG WARNING from 10 AM - 8 PM SAT
FIRE WEATHER WATCH from 10 AM - 8 PM SUN
An 80s Saturday in the Steel City! Beautiful but very dry. Winds from the WSW at 15-20 mph gusting this afternoon to 30 mph. Avoid outdoor burning but definitely enjoy the day!
Canon City forecast: High: 78; Low: 44.
No matter who you are, you'll love today's weather. Sunshine, 70s, and northwest breezes at 10-20 mph. Even by Colorado standards, today is fantastic.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 66; Low: 35.
In the city above the clouds...today you won't find any clouds! Great weather - comfortable 60s, breezy this morning with some 30-35 mph wind gusts...they'll drop to 10-20 mph this afternoon.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 70s; Low: 30s.
Palmer Lake, Raspberry Mountain - you name a trail, it's got your name on it today. Or maybe it's just a walk around the block before relaxing to watch some TV with the windows open! Sunny skies, northwest winds at 10-15 mph.
Plains forecast: High: 80s; Low: 40s.
RED FLAG WARNING from 10 AM - 8 PM SAT
Very warm - mid 80s for the lower southeast plains (Baca and Lamar) - but high grass fire danger due to west winds at 10-20 mph with gusts to 30-35 mph this afternoon. Be careful of dragging chains on your car - they can produce sparks and easily start a grass fire. Otherwise though...it's a fantastic day. Consider bringing the sunscreen - nothing in the way of the strong April sunshine today.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 72/75; Low: 42.
RED FLAG WARNING from 10 AM - 8 PM SAT
It'll feel like early May today with plenty of sun. But, very dry conditions with west to northwest winds at 10-20 mph, gusting to 35 mph this afternoon. High grass fire danger - be mindful if you head out to enjoy the nice conditions.
Mountains forecast: High: 50s/60s; Low: 30s/40s.
Sunny and nice. If you plan to venture into the higher peaks this weekend - above 9,000 feet or so, expect crusty snow in the morning, rapidly softening during the afternoon. Winds today from the west at 10-20 mph with 30 mph gusts. Overall...it's a nice spring weekend in the Rockies.
Extended outlook forecast:
The warmth continues Sunday as our high pressure ridge moves east - so you can expect a similar but slightly warmer day. We'll be close to record highs on Sunday. Colorado Springs' Sunday record is 83, and in Pueblo, it's 87. We'll be close to both of those numbers (but perhaps a notch below).
Winds Sunday shift south - some afternoon gusts in the 20-30 mph range, but with flow looking more southerly, some zones might be a bit too wet. Also, winds won't be strong enough for many regions with 15-20 mph winds likely. For now, a Fire Weather Watch is in place for Pueblo County, N El Paso County, and the San Luis Valley.
Monday is a different story. Low pressure currently off the northern coast of California will track east with two branches of energy splitting off - one going north, one going south. This setup ultimately will lead to solid southwest winds above us Monday afternoon which will likely mix down to the ground coupled with low humidity. This may lead to high fire risk Monday afternoon. By evening, I expect moisture associated with this system to work off of the Rockies and, following a cold front, push into the Pikes Peak Region. This ends the fire concern and gives us rain shower chances Monday night into Tuesday afternoon. In Teller county, we could see a bit of a wintry mix. For the rest of southern Colorado, you should expect rain. Highs early next week fall to the low 70s Monday, and then to the mid 60s Tuesday following the cold front. Tuesday will also be breezy. That'll be the theme next week - breezes all week. A more potent cold front should arrive late in the week and cool us to the 50s by Friday.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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