textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- HIGH END fire danger is expected for most areas on Saturday

- Damaging winds are possible on Sunday, and High Wind Watches have been issued for several areas.

- Light but wind driven snow is possible for the central mountains and the higher elevations of the Pikes Peak region late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

- A rare and potentially impactful heat event is shaping up for next week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 156 PM MDT Fri Mar 13 2026

Currently..

Smoke and haze from yesterday's wildfires in Nebraska is persisting across portions of our plains that have yet to mix out of our easterly winds. As of Noon, this includes most of the Lower Arkansas River Valley east of I-25. Pueblo airport is still sitting around 3 miles this hour, and Lamar is at 4 miles. Temperatures have been slow to warm under the wave cloud that is sitting over I-25 as well. Colorado Springs and Pueblo are both in the upper 50s, while Trinidad has already warmed to 73F this hour. Satellite imagery shows persistent northwest flow, which is likely to mix down soon..any moment now..though models have been wrongly optimistic about this for most of the morning now.

Rest of Today and Tonight..

Continued hazy conditions are expected until westerlies manage to develop across the Lower Arkansas River Valley. High res model guidance has been placing this development in the 1 to 2 hours out window all morning, but with afternoon heating ongoing, mixing and downsloping really should kick this stuff out of here soon. In areas where westerlies are already in place, Red Flag criteria are already being observed, mainly in Salida, Fremont, and near Trinidad. Daytime highs look to top out in the 15 to 20 degrees warmer than normal range, though still shy of records. The wave cloud over the northern half I-25 may end up knocking a few degrees off current forecast highs for Pueblo and Colorado Springs as well. Winds weaken overnight, but we remain much warmer than normal, with temperatures in the 20s for the San Luis Valley, and upper 30s to 40s for most other lower elevation locations.

Tomorrow..

Saturday is a very high end Red Flag day for most areas. For now, the highest winds (over/near mountains) do not overlap with the lowest relative humidities (eastern plains), thus, a PDS Red Flag Warning has not been added/issued for any zones for tomorrow. The areas that will get closest will be our gap flows in eastern Fremont, western Pueblo, and Huerfano counties, where the stronger mountain wind criteria may briefly overlap with the lower elevation single digit dewpoints. For now, the likelihood of these conditions being long-lived or widespread enough to warrant PDS issuance is too low, however, extreme fire weather is still possible. Please avoid any activities that may start a wildfire! Downsloping winds will also cause temperatures to soar well into record territory tomorrow:

Standing Record Forecast C. Springs 75 73 Pueblo 83 82 Alamosa 67 69

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 156 PM MDT Fri Mar 13 2026

Saturday Night and Sunday..

Our incoming trough and cold front continue to trend stronger in terms of winds, and drier in terms of both precipitation amounts and humidity values. As the trough approaches Saturday evening, our mountains begin to see the potential for high wind criteria. For this reason, a High Wind Watch has been issued for the central mountains, the Sangres, and Huerfano county starting at 6 PM Saturday evening and lasting through the overnight hours and into Sunday. Winds in these areas are likely to gust upwards of 75 mph. In the central mountains, light but wind driven snow is expected through this period as well. Accumulations look to be generally 2-4 inches or less, but degraded visibilities in blowing snow may hinder travel, especially over mountain passes. The cold front comes through the plains early Sunday morning, spreading the potential for damaging north winds and blowing dust across the area. Gusts to 60 mph will be possible across all of our plains from early Sunday morning through Sunday evening, and a High Wind Watch has been issued for all lower elevation zones for this timeframe. Very brief snow chances will also be possible across the higher elevations of the Pikes Peak region, though, as previously mentioned, models continue to trend drier. For now, up to an inch or so of new snow looks to be possible over Teller County and the Palmer Divide. Though accumulations will be low, and melting is expected on major roadways, significant travel impacts are expected due to blowing snow on the Palmer Divide. Significant travel impacts due to blowing dust and damaging winds will also be possible, especially on all east-west roadways, to include Highway 50. The one shimmering piece of good news is that temperatures plummet back down closer to normal for this time of year. Most locations will remain in the 40s for highs, with 30s possible for the Pikes Peak region. Many locations will see their daytime high near midnight Saturday night. One other note to keep an eye out for, is that the San Luis Valley, and possibly even portions of our southern plains, may end up seeing critical fire weather concerns on Sunday as well. Strong winds are expected, and conditions look to likely be dry enough for watch issuance if trends continue.

Monday Onwards..

Monday is sort of a transition and rebound type of day. It will also finally bring a much needed down day for fire weather concerns. Most locations look to keep daytime highs in the 50s with strong northerly flow over the region. Believe it or not, 50s are quite normal for this time of year. Winds look to weaken on the plains, but may continue to be pretty gusty over the high country.

What is not normal for this time of year is what looks to shape for Tuesday onwards into the end of next week. Many locations could see highs well into the 90s if long term ensemble guidance trends continue. The ridge that takes shape through the second half of next week is a very late spring/summer looking pattern, and looks to bring warmth that could smash standing daily, monthly, and possibly even seasonal all-time records. As for fire weather concerns, we will certainly be dry and anomalously hot for this time of year, but winds may be too marginal for highlights through portions of this rare heat event.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1133 AM MDT Fri Mar 13 2026

Other than a few more hours of smoke and haze at KPUB early this afternoon, VFR conditions are expected at all three TAF sites for the next 24 hours. Gusty west winds are expected today, with gusts to 35kt possible at each station. Winds weaken overnight, and will be strong again on Saturday. Scattered to broken middle and upper- level clouds are expected off and on through much of the period.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for COZ220-222- 224>233. Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 10 PM MDT Saturday for COZ220>222-224>237. High Wind Watch from Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon for COZ060-061-072>075. High Wind Watch from late Saturday night through Sunday evening for COZ084>086-088-089-093>099. High Wind Watch from Saturday evening through Sunday evening for COZ087.