Denver Weather: Another Day Of Intense Wind Before A Reprieve For Rockies Opening Day
DENVER (CBS4) - Very gusty wind will return on Thursday causing high fire danger and making it feel quite chilly again for April.
The strongest wind on Wednesday was around 70 mph on the Eastern Plains and about 50 mph in the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. Similar wind gusts are expected on Thursday from late morning through around sunset.
Since the wind will combine with dry soil and low relative humidity, the fire danger will remain high for virtually all lower elevations in the state including the entire Denver metro area. A Red Flag Warning has been issued until 8 p.m. and because of the wind and high fire danger, the CBS4 Weather Team has declared Thursday to be a First Alert Weather Day (for the third day in a row).
There is also a High Wind Warning for the most of the Eastern Plains where wind gusts could reach up to 65 mph at times. The warning includes the I-70 corridor east of Limon and the I-76 corridor east of Fort Morgan.
In terms of temperatures, Thursday will technically be warmer than Wednesday. But since the wind will be coming from the north, it will continue to feel chilly even if thermometers along the Front Range show temperatures in the 50s Thursday afternoon.
Looking ahead to Friday, it will finally be a calmer day for most of Colorado including the Denver metro area. The wind will still be out of the north, but speeds should be no higher than 15-20 mph. Temperatures will also climb slightly above normal for the first half of April with about 65 degrees in Denver.
The forecast looks very nice for the Rockies home opener against the Dodgers set for 2:10 p.m. Friday at Coors Field.
The next chance for precipitation in Colorado will be mountain snow showers Saturday night into Sunday. Any precipitation around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins should wait until at least Sunday night. It's very likely the mountains will get hit with heavier snow on Monday and Tuesday. A First Alert Weather Day is also possible in Denver Monday and/or Tuesday due to wind and a mix of rain and snow. We'll keep you posted!
