textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- High Fire Danger and much warmer than normal temperatures are expected to persist for Friday and Saturday.

- A brief, and mostly dry, cold front comes through early Sunday, bringing light snowfall to portions of the high country and the Palmer Divide early Sunday morning, along with a brief cool down.

- An exceptionally warm and dry pattern is shaping up towards the middle of next week, with daily, and possibly monthly, temperature records possible.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 1250 PM MDT Thu Mar 12 2026

Currently..

Northwest flow persists, with strongest jet support for high winds off to our north. As of 11 AM, wind gust to 45 mph have been observed across portions of the lower elevations of Las Animas, Huerfano, and El Paso counties, with gusts to around 60 mph for Cottonwood Pass, Rampart Reservoir, and a few other locations above 9,200ft. Temperatures have climbed into the 60s across much of the plains, with relative humidity values in the low teens to 20% range.

Rest of Today and Tonight..

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through 9 PM this evening, and gusty west winds are expected to persist well into the evening. Overnight recoveries will be poor, with many areas only recovering into the 30-40% range by early tomorrow morning. Gusty winds look to persist across the higher elevations of the central mountains and the Pikes Peak region, with improvement likely between midnight and sunrise. Overnight lows will be around 10 to 12 degrees warmer than normal given continued mixing. This will mean temperatures in the 20s for the San Luis Valley, and 30s to 40s on the plains.

Tomorrow..

After poor overnight recoveries, most areas will start out warm and dry first thing Friday morning. Though winds look to be slightly weaker tomorrow, we will be much drier for many areas. Tomorrow's Red Flag Warning has been expanded to include the Sangres and the Wets, along with Otero, Crowley, and eastern Las Animas, and still includes the central mountains, the San Luis Valley, Fremont, and all of the I-25 corridor. Humidity values in the single digits are expected across much of our plains with winds gusting to 50 mph over our higher peaks, and winds closer to 35 mph over the lower elevations. Daytime highs tomorrow look to top out in the mid to upper 60s for mountain valleys and the Palmer Divide, with mid to upper 70s across our plains.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1250 PM MDT Thu Mar 12 2026

Saturday..Saturday looks to be the highest end RFW of the next few days, especially for our southeast mountains and southern plains. Winds will be strongest, and humidities will be driest. If current trends continue, portions of Las Animas County are likely to see very high end RFW criteria, with single digit relative humidity values and wind gusts near 60 mph. Most of our forecast area is under a Fire Weather Watch for Saturday, and daytime highs look to be near record as well. Highs in the 60s and 70s are expected for mountain valleys and the Pikes Peak region, with temperatures climbing into the 80s across most of our plains. That would put us very near or over these standing records:

Standing Record Forecast C. Springs 75 73 Pueblo 83 80 Alamosa 67 69

Sunday and Monday...Models bring in a cold front through late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. For now, temperatures look to drop by 30 degrees for Sunday afternoon highs across the plains, and 10 to 15 degrees for the mountain valleys. For now, effects of the cold front look to be too delayed to fend off fire weather concerns across the San Luis Valley early Sunday afternoon, though as the event draws closer, this could change. Model guidance depicts light snow across the central mountains late Saturday night, and across the Palmer Divide into early Sunday morning, with total amounts of around 2 inches at the most. We warm up slightly heading into Monday, though lighter winds behind the departing system look to keep fire weather concerns at a minimum for all areas Monday afternoon.

Tuesday and Wednesday...Ensemble guidance continues to point towards an upper ridge dominating the western half of the country. This is the start of a serious heating and drying trend, and likely daily fire weather concerns, though there will be some questions about how strong winds will get. Daily, and possibly monthly, temperature records will be possible.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1106 AM MDT Thu Mar 12 2026

VFR conditions are expected at all three TAF sites, KCOS, KPUB, and KALS, for the next 24 hours. Westerly to northwesterly winds are expected at all stations this afternoon, with gusts to around 35kt possible through early evening. Winds weaken overnight, are likely to gust over 25kt again Friday afternoon. Scattered to broken middle and upper-level cloud decks are expected through much of the period. Blowing dust and reduced visibility may be possible this afternoon when winds are strongest, mainly at KALS and KPUB, but confidence was too low to include in either TAF at this time.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Friday for COZ220-222- 224>233. Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ222-224- 226>237. Fire Weather Watch from Saturday morning through Saturday evening for COZ221-222-224>237.