textproduct: Pueblo

KEY MESSAGES

- Critical fire weather conditions expected for much of the area today, with more spotty conditions anticipated for Saturday.

- Chances for precipitation increase this weekend and into early next week. Snow likely for the mountain peaks, while the plains should see some showers and isolated thunderstorms.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/

Issued at 1234 AM MDT Fri Apr 24 2026

Currently...Broad upper low center was located in Canada just north of MT, producing widespread westerly flow aloft across Colorado. Cold front passage earlier this evening has pushed all the way across the eastern plains, with widespread 40s and 50s being reported as of 10 PM. Overnight lows, under clearing skies, are forecast to dip into the 20s to around 30F for the high valleys, and 30s across the plains.

Today and Tonight...The upper low to the north is forecast to move very little through the short term, but a shortwave rotating around the low will swing across the Intermountain West and Great Basin today, shifting the flow aloft to a slightly more west-southwest direction while also tightening the pressure gradient. Fire weather info will be addressed down below, but ongoing highlights for today look good. There may be a few showers over the central mts this afternoon as the shortwave approaches, but for the most part expect another very dry day with high temps in the 60s for the high valleys, and 70s to near 80F for the plains. Overnight low temps tonight should be a bit more mild due to some mt clouds and brisk w- sw flow, with mid 20s to mid 30s for the high valleys, and 30s to lower 40s for the plains.

LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 1234 AM MDT Fri Apr 24 2026

Saturday...The forecast calls for some changes in the overall pattern starting Saturday. First, the upper low to the north will drop a cold front south into CO late Friday night, which will then surge across the Palmer Divide and set up across the eastern plains Sat morning. Meanwhile, an upper longwave trough starts to take form over the western US as another upper low pushes onshore across CA, which will shift the flow aloft to a more southwest direction across the Four Corners. In turn, southwest surface winds will increase across the higher terrain and southern portions of the forecast area, and at some point across the eastern plains the incoming frontal boundary will meet the increasing southwest winds and stagnate. This will lead to high fire danger for portions of the area, mentioned below, and will be highly dependent on where that boundary sets up. Plan on highs in the 60s for the high valleys, and mid 60s to mid 70s for the plains. The southwest flow aloft increases through the evening, and finally taps into some Pacific moisture that is expected to bring some beneficial new snow to the mts. At this point snowfall amounts look to be up to 2 inches for the central mts, and 1 to 3 inches for the southwest mts through Sat night. Further east across the plains, scattered rain showers are forecast. Overnight lows should be on the mild side due to increased cloud cover, with readings in the 30s for the high valleys, and mid 30s to lower 40s for the plains.

Sunday and Monday...The upper pattern gets pretty messy Sunday and Monday as a couple of strong shortwaves cross the region, bringing additional mt snow and continued convection chances for the lower elevations. Current forecast grids paint an additional 6-8 inches of new snow for the peaks of the Continental Divide, while the rest of the higher terrain sees 2-4 inches. Some of the long range models are hinting at a more northerly track for all this activity, which would result in a similar shift of precip amounts, so fingers crossed that those solutions are incorrect. Sunday may get somewhat warm across the eastern plains during the afternoon with readings of around 80F for the SW corner, but most of the plains will see mid 60s to mid 70s, and 50s for the high valleys. Monday will be about 5 degrees cooler.

Tuesday through Thursday...Current grids indicate a mainly dry and warm day for Tue, then unsettled Wed and Thu with widespread precip chances and much cooler temps as a strong cold front pushes in Wed night. Moore

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1050 PM MDT Thu Apr 23 2026

KALS...KCOS...and KPUB... VFR conditions will continue over the next 24 hours with variable high cloudiness increasing again Friday afternoon at all three terminals. Otherwise, light diurnally driven winds tonight will become gusty from the south to southwest at all three terminals by Friday afternoon with gusts to around 25 kts. KPUB may see a more southeasterly component until 21-22z when stronger southwest winds spread in. Winds will decrease and shift from the west during the evening under VFR high level cloudiness. -KT

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1234 AM MDT Fri Apr 24 2026

Very dry conditions and receptive fuels remain.

Critical fire weather conditions expected today as southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph, develop through the afternoon and combine with single digit RH levels. Red Flag Warning remains in effect for much of the area today from 11 AM until 9 PM tonight.

High fire danger is expected to continue for portions of the district on Saturday, and will be highly dependent on where the gusty southwest winds are realized and not negated by the advancing cold front. Therefore, went with a Fire Weather Watch for Fire Zones 224, 229 and 230, which covers the San Luis Valley, and those wind-prone gap flow areas in the vicinity of Walsenburg and Trinidad. RH levels should dip down into the 10-15 percent range, with southwest winds gusting up to 30-40 mph. Did not include Zones 220 nor 222 at this time due to lack of widespread coverage, but they may need to be included by following shifts.

PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning from 11 AM this morning to 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ220>222-224>237. Fire Weather Watch from Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening for COZ224-229-230.