55 MPH Gusts and Red Flags: Why Wednesday is Shaping Up to Be the Most Dangerous Day of the Week

Western Colorado gets a brief window of quiet weather on Tuesday before a pattern shift brings dangerous wind, fire weather concerns, and eventually some much-needed moisture back to the region by the weekend.

We'll kick off this week with some isolated thunderstorms in the southern and central mountains on Tuesday afternoon.

Most of it will be rain that evaporates before hitting the ground, so don't get too excited about meaningful moisture. Nice light show, though.

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Wednesday: Hold Onto Your Hat. No, Really.

This is the day that's going to get everyone's attention. We'll see a system dropping in across Western Colorado, and the result is wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph in most valley areas on Wednesday afternoon.

That's not a breezy day; that's actively unpleasant and potentially dangerous.

All that wind arrives without much moisture to show for it. A few showers are possible in the higher terrain north of I-70, but most of that will be virga too, and virga in strong wind conditions can actually enhance the gusts. Not ideal.

Red Flag Warnings are in effect for areas where fuels are critical. Wednesday is not the day to be careless with anything that sparks.

Late Week Into the Weekend: Finally, Some Relief

After Wednesday's main event, leftover energy keeps light mountain snow going at times, mostly in the northern mountains, and winds stay breezy each afternoon, though nothing close to Wednesday's levels.

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The better news: a low-pressure system coming this weekend looks to bring real moisture back into the area. Models are hinting at accumulating mountain snowfall, particularly late in the weekend. Timing and totals are still uncertain, but it's worth watching.

Unsettled, cooler, and wetter. We'll take it.