I think it’s safe to say that the wind on a sunny day is kind of bothersome for most. This back to last Sunday when there was so much wind around and how it was slightly unpleasant to go outside. Well, we’re going to be dealing with those gusty winds yet again.
The Setup
We have a ridge sitting to our west and that is allowing for winds to blow from the northwest. In the northwest flow is a little disturbance that is going to ride from the Pacific Northwest to the Central Plains. This shortwave (disturbance) will brush northeast Colorado as a cool front on Thursday.
Winds will really begin to pick up in the afternoon hours on Thursday and will continue to be gusty into the nighttime hours. Winds on Thursday could gust up to 40 mph for some areas. In the Denver Metro expect 10-20 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph or so.
This cool front will not bring much moisture with it but how you’ll know it’s here will be the wind.
Fire Danger
With severe drought conditions covering more than 30 percent of Colorado currently, fire fuels such as; dry grasses and timber will easily ignite if sparked. Then add in the wind, any fires that do start will have the potential to spread very quickly.
- Outdoor burning of any kind is strongly discouraged
- Do not throw cigarettes out the window
- avoid creating sparks/operating machinery in dry grasses
Denver proper, the northern mountains and the northeastern Plains are excluded from any fire danger advisories right now because those locations have seen enough rain and moisture for fire danger to not be elevated. It will still be dry and windy but the conditions that fires need to spread rapidly won’t be as enough to cause major concerns.
Freeze?
This wind is coming with a cool front and that will bring temperatures down just a bit. Thursday highs will be in the upper 60s and Fridays high will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Friday morning, it may be cold enough to have a frost occur.
It’s almost Mother’s Day. Almost. That is the date the Coloradans use to signify when it is okay to plant your outdoor gardens. I know a lot of folks have already done that so this applies to you. Take care of your outdoor plants if they are sensitive to the cold.
Our average date of the last freeze is May 4. We saw a temperature reading of 30 degrees on the morning of May 5th so that will go down as our last freeze date until another sub-32-degree reading happens.
Overall, our temperatures will be right on par with what is normally expected this time of the year.
~ Rain or Shine
I’m Andy Stein
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