It Was This Windy Yesterday In Colorado
How windy did it get yesterday, April 5, 2022, in the great state of Colorado? Here are a few examples that might help put things into perspective.
Simply put, it was darn windy on Tuesday, April 5. Here's a breakdown of wind speeds at various locations around Colorado, and how those figures translate into the daily world.
Examples of Windy Conditions In Colorado
It was so windy yesterday my houseguest suffered an injury when struck in the face by a garbage can lid. It was so windy my landscaping project had to be suspended because we couldn't keep the weed block from blowing away.
It was so windy yesterday I witnessed a high school kid fall over a garbage bag that had blown onto the sidewalk. NOTE: Look up from your cell phone from time to time to avoid accidents such as this.
Wind Speeds From Across the State of Colorado
According to Fox31, communities around Colorado experienced these wind speeds on Tuesday, April 5, 2022:
- Aguilar: 72 mph
- Berthoud Pass: 91 mph
- Boulder: 76 mph
- Buckeye: 75 mph
- Cattle Creek: 49 mph
- Coal Creek: 60 mph
- Colorado Springs: 75 mph
- Craig: 52 mph
- Florence: 58 mph
- Fraser: 116 mph
- Frisco: 103 mph
- Golden: 49 mph
- Gypsum: 45 mph
- Idalia: 57 mph
- Loveland Pass: 80 mph
- Manitou Springs: 76 mph
- Meeker: 66 mph
- Peterson Air Force Base: 69 mph
- Pikes Peak: 60 mph
- Pinecliffe: 76 mph
- Poncha Pass: 79 mph
- Swissvale: 70 mph
- Weston: 70 mph
- Woodland Park: 52 mph
Putting These Colorado Wind Speeds Into Perspective
Let's talk about 116 miles an hour for a moment, shall we? Just how fast is that? I can only recall one occasion where I've traveled more than 100 miles per hour in a car. That was somewhere along I-70 in an isolated section of Utah without another car in sight.
What can one do at 116 miles an hour? According to Trans4mind, on average, a single-engine plane will fly 140 miles per hour.
Looking at data provided by Google, the average weight of a Cessna 172, the most popular aircraft ever made, equals 1,669 pounds. That plane has a cruising speed of 140 miles per hour, and a top speed of 188 miles per hour. In other words, the cruising speed of a private aircraft is only slightly higher than the wind speed experienced in Fraser, Colorado on Tuesday.
Even more disturbing would be this next figure. According to Pilots of America, the average landing speed of a Cessna 172 is around 86 miles per hour. Scrunch it all together, and it's my understanding a person can land a 1,669 pound aircraft at a speed 30 miles per hour less than the winds experienced by Fraser, Colorado yesterday.
Fastest Wind Speed in Colorado History
According to Out There Colorado, "The fastest official – official being the key word – wind speed ever recorded in Colorado was a gust that reached 148 miles per hour in February 2016 on Monarch Pass."
Disturbing Stuff Right Out of Colorado
The information above points to one rock-solid conclusion - It was darn windy yesterday, April 5, 2022, in the state of Colorado.