Summit County Citizens Voice

High winds expected over northern Colorado mountains and foothills tonight. Click on the image to visit the National Weather Service website.

Strong jet stream to usher in some needed Pacific moisture along with some dangerous travel conditions in the high country

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — For the third time this fall and winter, Colorado’s north-central mountains could get blasted by another round of unusually high winds this week, with winds blowing at 30 to 50 mph and gusts of 90 mph and stronger over the peaks and ridges of the high country.

The strongest winds are expected along the Continental Divide and in the Front Range mountains and foothills, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a high wind warning covering Summit County and eastward. The warning is in effect from 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday.

A high wind warning means strong and damaging winds are occurring or very likely. Previous windstorms in mid-November and December knocked out power in Summit County, blew over trees across much of the area and resulted in thousands of dollars of damage to homes and property.

The impending storm could make travel across some high country passes all but impossible, according to the National Weather Service. The special bulletin warns of whiteout conditions and dangerous windchill conditions across parts of the high country, where some roads like Loveland Pass may close late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

The winds will develop along a strong pressure gradient over the area, supported by the jet stream, which is also expected to bring a series of increasingly strong storms into the region later in the week.

Temps will moderate in the second half of the week as the Pacific moisture train moves ashore, with rain possible over some of the lower western Colorado valleys.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Summit County snow and weather Tagged: | Colorado weather, high wind warning, summit county weather, summit county windstorm