DENVER – Strong wind gusts picking up dust were expected to trigger areas of poor visibility along Colorado’s plains Monday as weather forecasters warned power outages and downed tree branches were possible across the eastern portion of the state through the day.
The Colorado State Patrol reported an overturned semi in an area near Highway 93 and Highway 72 on Monday morning. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office told Denver7 motorists along Highway 93 were reporting blowing debris. The driver of the overturned semi was not injured, according to CSP.
Highway 93 remained closed, but as of 3 p.m., both directions have reopened.
Sustained winds of around 23 miles per hour out of the northwest were reported in Denver around noon. Denver7 weather also tracked wind gusts of 40 mph in the Aurora area and 38 mph at DIA.
“With the low relative humidity, dry conditions and strong winds, the fire danger is elevated for this Monday where gusts could reach up to 60 miles per hour at times over the I-25 corridor and plains,” said Denver7 weather forecaster Katie LaSalle.
A high wind warning remains in effect across the eastern plains and through the entire I-25 corridor including the Denver metro, Fort Collins, Boulder, and through Castle Rock and Colorado Springs.
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects and a few power outages may result. Blowing dust will reduce visibility to less than a quarter mile in places,” wrote National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters in Boulder.
Here are some of the highest wind gusts reported in Colorado as of early Monday afternoon:
- 80 mph: 2 miles WSW Brainard Lake (Boulder County)
- 75 mph: 2 miles S Winter Park (Grand County)
- 75 mph: 2 miles E Copper Mountain (Summit County)
- 62 mph: 11 miles NNE Kremmling (Grand County)
- 59 mph: 2 miles ENE Marshall (Boulder County)
- 54 mph: 3 miles ESE Buckeye (Larimer County)
- 53 mph: 8 miles SSW Grover (Weld County)
The gusty conditions are contributing to a red flag warning and an increased fire danger across Colorado on Monday. The Denver metro and an area stretching north through Fort Collins and south through Colorado Springs remain under the red flag warning until 5 p.m.
“Dry downslope winds, at times strong, will become widespread Monday morning and result in an increased potential for rapid spread of wildfires across the lower elevations, especially below approximately 7,500 ft or where snow cover is limited,” wrote the NWS.
Monday’s high winds come on the 3-year mark of the devastating Marshall Fire, but NWS forecasters said today’s forecast is different from December 20, 2021.
“We know today's forecast can lead to some anxiety, especially on the anniversary of the Marshall Fire. We want to emphasize that today's setup is very different. While strong winds are forecast, most gusts should remain between 50-70 mph (not 100+ mph),” wrote the NWS on social media.
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Following Monday’s high winds in Colorado, the front will drop the recent mild temps seen in December in the Denver metro.Tuesday’s afternoon high in Denver will only reach 37 degrees and then into the 40s for both Wednesday and Thursday.
Friday will be the warmest day of the week in Denver with a forecast high of 50 degrees expected before cooler temps settle in for the weekend.
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