textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- Hard Freeze for San Luis Valley tonight with Freeze/Frost conditions for the southeast plains tonight and again Friday night.

- Warmer and drier into early next week, with another storm system moving across the Rockies through the middle of next week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 130 PM MDT Thu Oct 15 2026

Current water vapor imagery and upper air analysis has moderate to strong north to northwest flow aloft in place across the Rockies, with yesterday's parting system lifting out across the Northern High Plains at this time. Satellite imagery indicates mid level moisture embedded within the flow spreading south across the region, with regional radars indicating a few showers spreading across northeastern Colorado into the Palmer Dvd and northern portions of the southeast plains at this time. As advertised, gusty northerly gradient winds of 25 to 45 mph have developed across much of eastern Colorado, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s at this time, save for 30s at the peak.

For the rest of today into tonight, gradient flow slowly relaxes as the Northern High Plains upper level system continues to translate north and east, allowing for a cool surface high pressure system to continue to build south and west across the Central High Plains. With a dry and cool airmass building south across the region, will see clearing skies and temperatures cooling overnight across the plains, with current Freeze Warnings for El Paso and Kiowa counties and frost advisories across the rest of the plains remaining in place overnight.

Further west, we issued another Freeze Warning for the San Luis Valley, as central portions of the valley did see temperatures in the mid 20s this morning, temperatures closer to higher terrain did not see a hard freeze, owning to another warning, with lows expected in teens and 20s across the higher terrain tonight.

Weakening northwest flow aloft continues across the region tomorrow with upper level ridging building into Western Colorado through the day on Friday. With only slight warming from the west, temperatures will be around to slightly warmer than today, with mainly 50s once again across the plains, and in the 40s and 50s across the higher terrain under mostly clear skies. With the cool and dry air in place, we are still expecting the end of the growing season with sub-freezing temperatures across southeast Colorado Friday night into Saturday morning, with Freeze Watches in place.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 130 PM MDT Thu Oct 15 2026

Warmer and drier conditions remain in the offing for the weekend into early next week, as upper level ridging builds into the region. Latest model data does indicate some moisture embedded within said westerly flow bringing chances for showers across the higher terrain, especially along and west of the ContDvd by Sunday and into Monday. Southwest flow aloft then increases through the middle of next week, as another system digs into the Great Basin, leading to increasing chances of precipitation to areas along and west of the ContDvd through the middle of of the week. Models continue to differ on the timing and strength of said system lifting out across the Rockies through the end of next week.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1152 AM MDT Thu Oct 15 2026

VFR conditions are expected at COS, PUB and ALS over the next 24 hours. Gusty northerly winds 28g38kt with a sct-bkn040-060 clouds with wrap-around moisture from yesterdays passing system will diminish through the late afternoon, with clear skies and generally light winds leading to at and below freezing temperatures overnight.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 9 AM MDT Friday for COZ069>071-084-085-095-096. Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM MDT Friday for COZ083-086>089- 093-094-097>099. Freeze Watch from late Friday night through Saturday morning for COZ083>089-093>099.