textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- Record heat expected through Saturday, with dangerous fire weather conditions on Saturday, mainly west of I-25.

- A brief cool down is forecast for Sunday and Monday, with possible an isolated shower Sunday afternoon/evening for Teller County into the Palmer Divide.

- Hot temperatures return for mid next week along with elevated fire weather concerns.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 1235 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

Currently...satellite imagery early this morning shows clear skies across southern Colorado, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s across the lower elevations. Temperatures look to cool off a few more degrees through sunrise, with mostly 40s.

Today and Tonight...upper level high pressure will continue to sit over Arizona and slowly drift southeast through tonight. Broad northwesterly flow aloft will gradually flatten overnight tonight, with more zonal westerly flow by Saturday morning. For today, temperatures will continue to be hot across the region, with a couple degrees warming above highs seen yesterday. These highs will once again reach well into the 80s to perhaps low 90s near Lamar. Humidity values will be extremely low, under 10 percent across the region, however, winds look to remain weak, and no fire weather highlights are out. Overnight lows tonight will remain mild, with 40s and 50s across the Plains, and near 30 over the San Luis Valley.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 1235 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

Models remain in good agreement through the extended with the upper high continuing to flatten over Mexico, and more zonal flow through early in the week. The upper ridge looks to redevelop mid week with a return to northwesterly flow and elevated fire weather concerns.

Saturday...flow aloft flattens to more zonal westerly flow during the day. Enhanced mixing will lead to continued warming, with highs once again warming well into the 80s to mid 90s across the Plains. These would be all time March monthly records by several degrees, and 40 plus degrees above normal! In addition to the hot temperatures, humidity values will remain low, near 5 percent. Winds will also be much stronger, with gusts 30 to 45 mph forecast for areas mainly west of I-25. A Red Flag Warning is now in effect for all areas along and west of I-25. The main question will be how far east the gusty winds mix out into the Plains. If winds do look to mix further east, more areas on the Plains will likely need to be added to the Red Flag Warning. Overnight, an upper shortwave embedded in the flow will move across Colorado. This will keep winds elevated well into the evening, with humidity recoveries poor. Have extended the Red Flag Warning through 11 PM Saturday to account for this. Overnight lows will continue to be mild with 40s and 50s across the region.

Sunday and Monday...models in good agreement with a cold front dropping south across the Plains Sunday morning. This will bring cooler air to the region, with highs both days in the 60s and 70s, still 10 to 15 degrees above normal. As for precipitation, models continue to trend downward. Most guidance has low pops for Teller County into the Palmer Divide Sunday afternoon and evening. Continued low precipitation chances for these areas Sunday afternoon and evening. Any precipitation that falls looks to be rain below 10 kft, with a few snow flakes possible across Pikes Peak. Precipitation will come to an end Sunday night. Monday looks dry across the region.

Tuesday into Thursday...upper level ridging rebuilds midweek across the west, with increasing northwesterly flow across Colorado. This will help temperatures rebound back into the 70s and 80s, with a few low 90s on the Plains on Wednesday. Low humidity values and gusty winds will once again lead to widespread critical fire weather conditions Tuesday and Wednesday. A cold front looks to arrive Thursday, with temperatures back down into the 60s and 70s, with not much in the way of precipitation for the area.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 523 AM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

KCOS, KPUB, and KALS: VFR conditions are expected over the next 24 hours. Winds will remain light, around and less than 10 knots, and diurnally driven for all three TAF sites. Beyond that, dry conditions with mostly clear skies is expected for this TAF period.

CLIMATE

Issued at 134 PM MDT Thu Mar 19 2026

LCD sites March 20th-21st Record Highs

ALS...Fri...Mar 20...72F...2004 ALS...Sat...Mar 21...72F...1997

COS...Fri...Mar 20...76F...2017 COS...Sat...Mar 21...75F...1995

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 87.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 11 PM MDT Saturday for COZ220>230.