textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- Very warm temperatures forecast through Saturday with mid 80s to mid 90s by the weekend.

- Spotty, elevated fire weather conditions through Friday, with more widespread conditions on Saturday.

- A cool front for Sunday and Monday will cooler air, and possibly a few showers for the Central Mountains.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 1239 AM MDT Wed Mar 18 2026

Currently...persistent northwest flow continues across southern Colorado early this morning with mid and high level clouds spread across the region. Temperatures have cooled off into the 40s across the Plains, with a few 30s over the San Luis Valley. Temperatures will fall a few more degrees through sunrise.

Today and tonight...upper level high pressure will remain anchored across the Great Basin, with persistent northwest flow across Colorado. Breezy northwesterly winds will continue across the higher terrain, into the San Luis Valley, stretching into Fremont County this afternoon, with a Red Flag Warning in place. Humidity values will fall to under 10 percent this afternoon for much of the area, however, winds for the most part look to remain below 25 mph. That being said, spotty fire weather conditions could occur outside the Red Flag Warning area this afternoon and evening. Temperatures this afternoon will warm quickly, with upper 70s to mid 80s across the Plains, and mid 70s for the San Luis Valley. These highs will be right at daily records (see climate section below). Temperatures will cool after sunset, with overnight lows tonight in the 40s to lower 50s across the Plains, and 20s and 30s for the San Luis Valley.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 1239 AM MDT Wed Mar 18 2026

Models remain in good agreement through the extended period, with the main differences in the embedded wave heading into next week. The main message will be much above normal temperatures through Saturday, along with continued elevated fire weather concerns.

Thursday into Friday...not much change expected in the upper pattern as the upper high slowly drifts eastward into the Intermountain West. This will allow surface flow to weaken across Colorado, with winds generally light. While humidity values will remain exceptionally low, winds look to remain on the lighter side. There could be spotty elevated fire weather conditions both days, mainly across the higher terrain, and we will continue to monitor those conditions. Overall, temperatures will remain warm, with continued near record temperatures in the mid 80s to lower 90s across the Plains. Overnight lows look to remain mild, mainly in the 40s and 50s.

Saturday...the upper ridge will begin to track southward across the Desert Southwest, with more zonal flow developing across southern Colorado. Enhanced mixing will help boost temperatures into the upper 80s to mid 90s across the Plains, with many areas seeing all time March record highs. Humidity values will remain very low, and the mixing will bring more widespread fire weather conditions to the area Saturday afternoon and evening.

Sunday into Tuesday...the upper ridge will continue to shift southward into Mexico, with zonal westerly flow across Colorado. Multiple embedded waves are likely across the area, and models vary in the timing/strength of the waves. The latest deterministic and ensembles continue to trend drier across the mountains, with a few spotty showers impacting the Central Mountains, mainly north of Cottonwood Pass, and eastward into the Palmer Divide. Snow amounts for the Central Mountains look minor at this time. Temperatures will be cooler for Sunday and Monday after a cold front pushes across the Plains. Highs look to reach the upper 60s to lower 70s, still 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Westerly flow looks to increase on Tuesday, with enhanced mixing and temperatures rebounding back into the 80s for the Plains.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 515 AM MDT Wed Mar 18 2026

VFR conditions are expected at KALS, KCOS, and KPUB through 24 hours. Winds are expected to follow diurnal flow patterns, with intermittent high level clouds. Wind speeds should remain at 12 knots or less, though can't rule out the low end chance for a few gusts at KALS late this afternoon. Current confidence too low to include in this round of TAFs.

CLIMATE

Issued at 100 PM MDT Tue Mar 17 2026

LCD sites March 18th-21st Record Highs

ALS...Wed...Mar 18...73F...2017 ALS...Thu...Mar 19...72F...1907 ALS...Fri...Mar 20...72F...2004 ALS...Sat...Mar 21...72F...1997

COS...Wed...Mar 18...80F...2017 COS...Thu...Mar 19...80F...2017 COS...Fri...Mar 20...76F...2017 COS...Sat...Mar 21...75F...1995

PUB...Wed...Mar 18...85F...2017 PUB...Thu...Mar 19...86F...2017 PUB...Fri...Mar 20...84F...2017 PUB...Sat...Mar 21...82F...2016

The all time record March max temp for Alamosa .........is 76. The all time record March max temp for Colorado Springs is 81. The all time record March max temp for Pueblo ..........is 86.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ222-224.