Today’s Forecast:
The two big weather stories today are the strong winds and warm temperatures! We're going to see downslope flow (west to southwest flow off the mountains) push highs into the 50s and 60s through the lower elevations. The winds will be strongest in and around our southern mountains, but there could be quite a bit of wind through I-25 between Walsenburg and Trinidad.
Overnight through Wednesday at lunch, we'll see even stronger winds in El Paso, Lincoln, Kiowa, and Prowers county, so much so that a High Wind Warning is in effect. Wind gusts in those counties tonight and tomorrow could gust as high as 50 to 60 mph.
Really strong wind gusts are expected today from the mountains into the I-25 corridor. We'll see the strongest winds in and around La Veta and La Veta Pass during the daytime, so there could be a travel advisory issued for the pass and stretches of I-25 SB near Walsenburg pic.twitter.com/jytr92tcny
— Sam Schreier (@SamASchreier) December 22, 2020
COLORADO SPRINGS: High: 60; Low: 22. Warm and very windy today with daytime gusts between 20-40 mph and overnight through Wednesday afternoon gusts in the 40 to possibly 60 mph range, especially in eastern El Paso County.
PUEBLO: High: 64; Low: 24. Sunny, very warm, and windy this afternoon with 20 to 40 mph gusts likely. Overnight through Wednesday we'll see strong wind gusts but they will likely stay under 50 mph.
CANON CITY: High: 60; Low: 25. Sunny and very windy today with 30 to 40 mph gusts likely this afternoon. We will be windy overnight and tomorrow but with wind gusts likely at or below 40 mph.
WOODLAND PARK: High: 48; Low: 7. Very windy today and chilly with gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range this afternoon. We'll stay windy overnight and tomorrow but with gusts likely under 40 mph.
TRI-LAKES: High: 50s; Low: 10s. Mild today and very wind through the afternoon with 20 t0 40 mph gusts possible. We'll see stronger winds tonight and tomorrow with 40 to 60 mph gusts possible.
PLAINS: High: 50s; Low: 20s. Warm and breezy today but the strongest daytime gusts will be around 40 mph or lower, mainly for areas farther west towards I-25. Overnight we'll see even stronger winds pick up with 40-60 mph gusts likely in Kiowa, Prowers, Lincoln, and Cheyenne counties.
WALSENBURG/TRINIDAD: High: 60s; Low: 20s. Warm and very windy today with 40 to 55 mph gusts possible, especially west into the mountains and through La Veta Pass. There could be wind restrictions today out of the west due to afternoon gusts along I-25. Overnight we'll be windy but not as bad as this afternoon.
MOUNTAINS: High: 40s; Low: 10s. We'll see really strong winds today and tonight through the Sangres, Wets, and Wet Mountain Valley. Wind gusts could reach 55 mph at their strongest, maybe even higher up above 9,000 feet. We'll stay dry today, but there will be snow that moves into the ski resorts and I-70 corridor late today through tomorrow morning.
Extended Outlook:
Wednesday will be very windy with 30 to 50 mph gusts expected along and east of I-25, with the windiest counties being El Paso, Lincoln, Kiowa, and Prowers counties (areas where the High Wind Warning is in effect). We'll be much colder tomorrow with daytime highs in the 30s. Thursday will be breezy but warmer, and Christmas Day continues to look warm and dry.
