WeatherToday's Forecast

Actions

High fire danger, then cooler and wetter

WX Headlines 10-19-2022
Posted at 5:33 PM, Oct 19, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-19 20:40:14-04

A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect for most locations east of I-15 from 11am until 7pm/9pm Thursday. High fire danger is expected on Thursday due to the combination of gusty winds, warm temperatures, and low relative humidity.

It is going to be warmer tonight than it has been over the past few nights as lows are going to be in the 40s and mid to upper 30s. We are also going to have mainly clear skies tonight, with increasing wind during the second half of the night, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front.

For tomorrow, we are going to have increasing clouds with some isolated showers around during the afternoon and evening as a cold front passes through our area. We are also going to have gusty winds around tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. This wind is initially going to be coming out of the WSW, but behind the cold front, the wind will shift direction to come out of the WNW. It is also going to be mild/warm on Thursday as highs are going to be in the 70s and upper 60s, and the combination of gusty winds, warm temperatures, and low relative humidity is going to create high fire danger.

It is then going to be cooler and breezy on Friday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. This wind is going to be coming out of the WSW. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Friday with scattered rain and mountain rain/snow showers around.

For this weekend, cooler and wetter weather is expected as an upper-level trough is going to be in control of our weather. On Saturday, there are going to be areas of rain and mountain snow around throughout the day, and some snow may even mix in with the rain in the lower elevations as the snow levels are going to be getting lower as the day goes on. There are then going to be areas of snow and rain around on Sunday, with snow levels likely as low as at least 3000 feet Sunday morning. In the mountains, several inches of snow accumulation is possible this weekend. In the lower elevations, light snow accumulations are possible this weekend.

The temperatures are also going to drop a lot this weekend as highs on Saturday are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s, and highs on Sunday are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph, and this wind is going to be coming out of the WNW.

There are then going to be some scattered rain and snow showers around on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as we continue to remain in an unsettled weather pattern. On all three of these days, snow levels will start off between 2000 and 3000 feet during the morning, but will rise some as the day goes on. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies over these three days.

It is also going to be chilly next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as highs are going to be in the 40s in most locations. Breezy conditions are also expected on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. There is then going to be a little bit of a breeze around on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 15 mph.