textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- Critical fire weather conditions persist across portions of the area today, with slight chances for rain and snow showers for some areas as well.

- Cooler and wetter weather is still expected for Wednesday through Friday for all areas.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 110 PM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

Rest of Today and Tonight..

Westerly flow has increased over the high country, and portions of the San Luis Valley are beginning to see 25 mph wind gusts as of 1230 this afternoon. Del Norte has a 19% rh as of this writing, and Alamosa is sitting at 15% despite still having variable winds. Critical fire weather conditions are expected to continue to develop and persist throughout the afternoon across the San Luis Valley, where a Red Flag Warning remains in place through 7 PM this evening. Our gap flow areas across the southern I-25 corridor are also likely to see spotty elevated fire weather conditions this afternoon as well, mainly through portions of Huerfano and western Las Animas counties. Conditions are not expected to be widespread or long lived enough to warrant highlights in these areas, but caution is still advised given our ongoing dry conditions.

For the rest of the high country and for our plains north of highway 50, spotty showers may be possible this afternoon and this evening. Very light snow is possible for the central mountains and for the higher elevations of the Pikes Peak region, with rain showers and possibly a rumble of thunder or two for the lower elevations. Overall, meaningful moisture and coverage both look to be lacking today, but spotty chances for quick showers will be possible along and north of Highway 50 through sunset. We dry out overnight with subsidence aloft and high pressure sinking onto the plains. Overnight lows look near normal for most locations, with 20s for mountain valleys, and 30s to 40s on the plains.

Tomorrow..

Models bring another messy shortwave across the region by Wednesday morning, which will allow us to warm up into the 60s and low 70s for most areas ahead of another round of showers and thunderstorms. Chances for precipitation begin in the late morning across the Palmer Divide, and spread southwards throughout the day Wednesday. Models bring the system's cold front across the area Wednesday evening, which will help to bring in cooler, moister air, and will develop upslope eventually as well. Overnight lows on Wednesday night remain seasonal, with increasing precipitation chances across the area, and especially for our plains and eastern mountains.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 110 PM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

Thursday and Friday..

Models continue to paint deep and persistent upslope flow over our plains and eastern mountains on Thursday. For now, the best moisture and lift comes through Thursday and Thursday night as the trough digs south. Ensemble guidance still suggests that event total QPF amounts in the 0.5 to 1.5 inch range will be possible over the region, with highest amounts concentrated over east facing slopes of the Ramparts, the Wets, and the Sangres, and the mountains plains interface west of I-25. Snowfall amounts continue to be tricky for areas below 8,000ft or so, where temperatures will be flirting with the freezing mark off and on through the event. For now, snow levels look to drop down to 7000 or even 6000 feet Thursday night, which will mean that a few inches may be possible across the Palmer Divide, the Raton Mesa, and the San Luis Valley. The rest of the I- 25 corridor, and especially the rest of El Paso COunty, is likely to see periods of snow falling, but the warmer temperatures may make it hard to see actual accumulations. Our mountains though look to do well with this system, and our eastern mountains will likely need highlights as the timing draws nearer and models continue to hone in on the details. EPS members continue to drag the best forcing way south of us by Friday, but GEFS members, and the deterministic NAM both manage to keep fairly decent moisture and precip chances over at least our mountains through most of Friday as the system scoots across the desert southwest. For now, it seems we will have to wait until models come into more agreement until we can better determine what Friday will look like precip-wise, but our temperatures look to remain cooler than normal across all solutions, with highs on the plains remaining mostly in the 50s.

Saturday Onwards..

Our weekend forecast is even more messy, with some solutions keeping precip chances over our mountains at least into Saturday, and others drying us out more quickly. In either case, temperatures look to remain near or cooler than normal for Saturday, with warmer than normal temperatures likely returning by Sunday and persisting into the start of next week. Most models favor the development of a low over southern California by Monday or so, with dry conditions and ridging over our region for the first half of next week.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1131 AM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

For KCOS and KPUB..VFR conditions are expected through the rest of today, with another round of MVFR ceilings possible later tonight. Low ceilings continue to dissipate over KCOS, and have already cleared over KPUB. Mainly scattered to broken middle and upper-level clouds are expected for the next several hours, with low clouds returning after 06Z. Winds will be easterly this afternoon, with gusts of 25k to 30k or so possible for both stations. Precipitation is not expected through this period, but will be possible over KCOS Wednesday afternoon.

For KALS..VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours. Westerly winds with gusts to 30kt are likely this afternoon. Scattered to broken middle and upper-level clouds are expected to persist off and on throughout the period.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning until 7 PM MDT this evening for COZ224.