Hold on to your hats! Hurricane-force wind gusts are set to rip through parts of Colorado this weekend.
Several High Wind Warnings will be in effect from Friday into Saturday morning and evening. Wind gusts up to 80 mph are expected to lash out across several parts of the state, which could produce power outages and bring down several trees and branches. High winds will also make travel difficult in the mountains, where blowing snow will limit visibility.
“High profile vehicles should avoid travel during this time,” warned the National Weather Service in a tweet on Friday.
⚠️High Wind Warning ⚠️
Strong winds develop tonight in the Front Range Mountains & Foothills with peak gusts up to 80 mph possible. High winds spread across the plains Saturday with gusts around 60 mph. Drivers of high profile vehicles should avoid travel during this time. #COwx pic.twitter.com/0UcUO6YbxL
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
Based on the Saffir-Simpson scale, wind speeds of 74 to 95 miles per hour would categorize a hurricane as a “category 1.” A “category 5” hurricane has wind speeds above 157 miles per hour.
High Wind Warning #1
When: 9 PM Friday until 9 PM Saturday
Where: Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Larimer, Jefferson, Douglass, Park, Gilpin, Clear Creek counties, and the western suburbs of Denver. Several areas will be impacted in the warning including Fort Collins, Hereford, Loveland, Nunn, Arvada, Boulder, Golden, Lakewood, Longmont, Estes Park, Glendevey, Nederland, Red Feather Lakes, Bailey, Central City, Evergreen, Georgetown, Idaho Springs, and Westcreek.
Speeds: Northwest winds are expected to produce gusts between 30 and 45 mph, with some gusts reaching speeds up to 75 mph.
High Wind Warning #2
When: 8 AM Saturday until 9 PM Saturday
Where: Areas and counties impacted include Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Adams, Douglas, Weld, Morgan, Lincoln, Elbert, Logan, Washington, Sedgwick, Phillips, Aurora, Brighton, Denver, Denver International Airport, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Parker, Castle Rock, Elbert, Fondis, Kiowa, Larkspur, Briggsdale, Grover, Pawnee Buttes, Raymer, Stoneham, Eaton, Fort Lupton, Greeley, Roggen, Brush, Fort Morgan, Goodrich, Wiggins, Bennett, Byers, Deer Trail, Leader, Agate, Hugo, Limon, Matheson, Forder, Karval, Kutch, Punkin Center, Crook, Merino, Sterling, Peetz, Akron, Cope, Last Chance, Otis, Julesburg, Ovid, Sedgwick, Amherst, Haxtun, and Holyoke.
Speeds: Northwest winds are expected to gust between 30 to 40 mph with some gusts reaching up to 60 mph.
High Wind Warning #3
When: 9 PM Friday until 9 PM Saturday
Where: Central and southeast Park County including Fairplay, Hartsel, Lake George, and South Park will be under a High Wind Warning from 9 PM Friday until 9 PM Saturday.
Speeds: West winds are expected to gust between 30 to 50 mph, with some gusts reaching up to 75 mph.
High Wind Warning #4
When: 11 AM Friday to 8 PM Saturday
Where: East Lake County, the eastern Sawatch Mountains, Crowley, Otero, eastern Las Animas, Kiowa, Bent, Prowers and Baca Counties.
Speeds: Gusts between 35 to 45 mph are expected with some gusts reaching speeds up to 80 mph.
High Wind Warning #5
When: 5 AM Saturday to 8 PM Saturday.
Where: Lake County below 11,000 feet, Chaffee County below 11,000 feet, northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Saguache County below 10,000 feet, and the La Garita Mountains.
Speeds: West winds are expected to range between 25 to 35 mph with some gusts reaching speeds up to 70 mph.
High Wind Warning #6
When: 9 PM Friday to 8 PM Saturday
Where: Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains, the Wet Mountain Valley, El Paso, Pueblo, Huerfano, western Las Animas, Teller and Fremont Counties, and the Rampart Range.
Speeds: West winds will gust between 30 to 40 mph with some gusts reaching speeds up to 70 mph.
High Wind Warning #7
When: 11 AM Saturday to 5 PM Saturday
Where: Yuma, Kit Carson and Cheyenne Counties
Speeds: Sustained northwest winds are expect to gust between 30 to 40 mph with some gusts reaching speeds up to 55 mph.
Adding to the mix of wild weather, another round of snow could bring a foot of fresh powder to parts of the mountains from Friday to Saturday.
Editor’s Note: All weather statements are subject to change. Visit the Colorado Department of Transportation website for up-to-date information on road conditions and the National Weather Service for updates on incoming storms.
This content was originally published here.
