Colorado weather alert: Strong wind to hammer Fort Collins, foothills

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·3 min read

As if Mondays aren't rough enough, add in irritatingly high wind and you have a bad start to the work week.

Today, parts of Colorado are under a high wind warning (Fort Collins included), red flag warning (southeastern Colorado) and winter weather advisory for the northern mountains, including western Larimer County.

Here is a breakdown of how intense the wind will be and how long you will have to endure it:

Here is a look at timing of the system blowing through Colorado

  • Foothills/Front Range: Strong winds will continue Monday through tonight and persisting into Tuesday. High Wind warning goes through midnight Monday for Fort Collins, Loveland, Nunn, Boulder, Longmont and Golden. Expect west winds 30 to 40 mph, gusting to 60 mph. Drivers of high profile vehicles should take caution, especially on Interstate 25.

  • Northern mountains: Winter weather advisory through 6 p.m. Monday for locations above 9,000 feet. Expect 3 to 8 inches of of snow driven by wind gusts to 60 to 70 mph, which will make travel difficult.

  • Eastern plains: Red Flag warning for Lincoln County in southeast Colorado until 8 p.m. tonight.

How windy is it going to get in Fort Collins and surrounding area?

Here is a look at peak wind gusts for Monday, May 6, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder:

  • Fort Collins: 50-55 mph

  • Greeley: 40-45 mph

  • Red Feather Lakes: 60-65 mph

  • Estes Park: 65-70 mph

  • Boulder: 55-60 mph

  • DIA: 40-45 mph

  • Denver: 45-50 mph

  • Sterling: 40-45 mph

  • Walden: 40-45 mph

  • Cheyenne, Wyo.: 60-65 mph

Fort Collins forecast not looking all that great for most of the week

According to the National Weather Service:

  • Monday: 30% chance of showers before noon then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 2 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 59 with wind 15 to 20 mph, increasing to 28 to 33 mph in the afternoon, gusting to as high as 50 mph. Low around 38 with west-northwest wind 29 to 39 mph becoming west southwest 10 to 20 mph. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph.

  • Tuesday: 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 60 with west- northwest wind 9 to 19 mph, increasing to 19 to 29 mph in the afternoon, gusting to 41 mph. Low around 32 degrees with west-northwest wind 18 to 26 mph, gusting to as high as 43 mph.

  • Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60, west-northwest wind 15 to 21 mph, gusting to as high as 30 mph. Low around 37 degrees.

  • Thursday: 60% chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58 and low around 40.

  • Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 62 and low around 40.

  • Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 68 and low around 42.

  • Sunday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado bracing for strong wind Monday. Here's how strong.