Marty’s Saturday Morning Forecast – Windy & Warm/Fire Weather – 4/9/2022
Overview: We're tracking wind and fire weather...
Today: Partly cloudy, becoming windy, and warm with high temperatures in the 70s and 80s for the plains, mainly 60s to near 70 over the mountains and mountain valleys. A strong westerly wind will develop first over and near the mountains where gusts between 25 and 35 mph should become common, and although the gusts might be lighter and a little later to get going over the far eastern plains, we still expect a windy afternoon. The combination of strong wind and dry and warm air will result in conditions becoming favorable for the spread of wildfires, which has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning for much of eastern Colorado starting late in the morning and lasting into the evening.
Tonight: Partly cloudy and breezy to windy at times with low temperatures in the 40s for the plains, mostly 30s for our local mountain communities and the high mountain valleys. Snow will fall briefly over the mountains along the Continental Divide, mainly along and north of I-70, and a few flakes might make it over Teller County briefly, but we don't expect any significant precipitation locally.
Sunday: Partly cloudy, breezy, and cooler with high temperatures falling into the 50s and 60s for the plains along and north of the Arkansas River, 70s south of the Arkansas River, and 40s and 50s for the mountains and mountain valleys. There could be a few sprinkles over the plains, or a few flakes over the mountains during the afternoon, but again, we don't expect any significant precipitation.
Extended: We expect more wind than precipitation with a number of cold fronts moving across the area this week. Monday will feature a mixture of sun and clouds and possibly spotty, brief sprinkles and/or flurries over and near the mountains. Breezy to windy at times with high temperatures reaching the 60s and 70s for the plains, 40s and 50s for the mountains, and 50s to lower 60s for the high mountain valleys. More wind on Tuesday as another cold front approaches the area. While the morning looks warm, it's likely that colder air will move over the area sometime during the day. When the cold front arrives, it is possible some scattered rain and/or snow showers will develop along and behind it for a short time. Wednesday looks breezy and colder with enough instability for isolated snow showers to develop over and near the mountains, mainly over the northern parts of our coverage area. Thursday and Friday look warmer, but we expect increasing wind again.
