Today’s Forecast:
Fire danger is extremely high today with strong winds, dry air, and dormant vegetation in the plains that has barely seen rain or snow over the last month.
The winds will be strongest today in the San Luis and Wet Mountain Valleys, as well as the eastern plains generally east of Crowley and Otero Counties. Blowing dust will likely lead to low visibility in the eastern plains, and we'll likely see plenty of tumbleweeds moving north.
Red Flag Warnings are widespread today, with everyone along and east of I-25 at risk for quick spreading grass fires in the afternoon.
Quick hitting and aggressive snow will fall across the Continental Divide this afternoon, so travel west on I-70 and most mountain passes could be dangerous and slick.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 70; Low: 28. Partly cloudy, warm, and very windy today with high grass fire danger. Max wind gusts will be in the 30 to 50 mph range, especially near the foothills on the west side of town. Absolutely no burning today, and please to be sure to call in any smoke you see today.
Pueblo forecast: High: 77; Low: 31. Really warm and very windy today with high grass fire danger. Max wind gusts will be in the 30 to 45 mph range today, with grass fires and blowing dust as the main weather concern. No burning, and call in smoke immediately if you see it.
Canon City forecast: High: 73; Low: 33. Partly cloudy, warm, and windy with maximum gusts in the 30 to 45 mph range.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 57; Low: 20. Partly cloudy, chilly, and very windy with maximum wind gusts in the 40 to 55 mph range.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 60s; Low: 20s. Cool, windy, and dry with maximum wind gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range.
Plains forecast: High: 70s; Low: 30s. Really strong wind and a very high chance for grass fires today. Wind gusts will be in the 40 to 60 mph range with lots of blowing dust and some migrating tumbleweeds. Smoke could be mistaken for dust today, but just keep a wary eye on the horizon.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 60s; Low: 20s. Mild and very windy today with maximum gusts in the 40 to 60 mph range. Blowing dust and a few high profile vehicle travel advisories are going to be possible along I-25, especially near Walsenburg.
Mountains forecast: High: 50s; Low: 20s. It'll be cold, windy, and mostly dry in our local mountains of the Sangres and Wets today. The wind gusts will be very strong, generally somewhere between 60 to 80 mph, especially on the eastern slopes. Snow will hit the central mountains today with a quick moving and aggressive band of snow. I-70 and most mountain passes will become snowy and slick today and tonight.
Extended outlook forecast:
The big story going forward will be a series of cold fronts that drop highs into the 30s by Friday.
Tonight, it'll be windy and cold as a front moves out of the mountains. Other than a few flurries over the Front Range and maybe Teller County, most of the region will be dry tonight and tomorrow.
It'll be breezy and chilly tomorrow with highs in the 50s through the plains. A second cold front with cold, easterly winds will bring a cloudy and cold Friday with a few areas of freezing fog in northern El Paso County.
Friday will be extra cold with temperatures in the teens Friday morning, and highs in the 30s for most of the plains. We'll be extra cold again Saturday morning with a warming trend into the 50s through Saturday afternoon.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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