Locked And Loaded Jet Stream Will Keep Colorado Mostly Dry And Windy Through Early May

DENVER (CBS4) - The month of April 2022 will forever be known for strong wind and high fire danger around Colorado, all thanks to a very persistent and active jet stream. If you're hoping for change as we roll into the month of May, unfortunately, we have some bad news.

As it stands right now, we're in for more of the same over the next few weeks with a "locked and loaded" jet stream pattern. The locked refers to the stagnant position of the jet with only subtle changes from day to day. The loaded means there are several storm systems lined up over the Pacific and headed our way.

How windy will it be in Colorado over the next few weeks? And is there any hope for some moisture? The answers will depend on the path of each individual storm. The trend during April was for storms to approach Colorado from the west but then move to our north, stalling out over the Dakotas and Minnesota. This isn't the right track to produce widespread rain and snow, but it will produce prolonged periods of strong and gusty wind.

As far as how windy it will be, the strength and duration of the wind associated with each storm will depend on a few factors, including the proximity to Colorado, the size of the storm, and the temperature contrast associated with it. Much like we have seen, there should be at least a day or two in between each storm system where the winds relax a bit.

The bottom line is we don't see any relief in sight when it comes to the high fire danger around Colorado. While there could be brief breaks in between the critical fire weather days, no significant changes are expected in the current outlook.

La Nina remains in play on the global weather picture, which is something that usually has more of an impact on Colorado's weather during the winter and early spring. However, the latest outlook from NOAA says there is at least a 50 percent chance that it will last through the summer.