026
FXUS65 KPUB 191127
AFDPUB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
527 AM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY,
WITH ALL TIME MONTHLY RECORDS EXPECTED TO FALL SATURDAY.
- HUMIDITY VALUE WILL BE EXCEPTIONALLY LOW THROUGH SATURDAY,
WITH THE MOST CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER DAY ON SATURDAY DUE TO
INCREASED WINDS.
- A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A BRIEF COOL DOWN SUNDAY AND MONDAY,
WITH TRENDS OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PALMER DIVIDE AREA
DRIER.
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
ISSUED AT 1233 AM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
CURRENTLY...HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER
PATTERN ACROSS THE WESTERN STATES, WITH BROAD NORTHWESTERLY FLOW
ACROSS COLORADO. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A FEW HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS
DROPPING ACROSS THE REGION EARLY THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES ARE
GENERALLY IN THE 40S ACROSS THE PLAINS, WITH 30S OVER THE
MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. LOWS BY SUNRISE WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE 30S AND
40S.
TODAY AND TONIGHT...NOT MUCH CHANGE TO THE FORECAST, WITH HIGH
PRESSURE DOMINATING THE WESTERN CONUS, WITH CONTINUED
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE STATE. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE
TO WARM THIS AFTERNOON, WITH WIDESPREAD 80S ON THE PLAINS AND
70S ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL REMAIN LOW,
WITH VALUES UNDER 10 PERCENT ACROSS THE REGION. WINDS WILL BE
LIGHTER TODAY, WITH THE ONLY AREA OF CONCERN FOR FIRE WEATHER
BEING THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. OCCASIONAL
GUSTS NEAR 25 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON, BUT JUST
DIDN'T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN DURATION TO ISSUE FIRE WEATHER
HIGHLIGHTS. ELSEWHERE, WINDS WILL BE BELOW THRESHOLDS.
OVERNIGHT, TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BACK INTO THE 40S ACROSS THE
PLAINS, WITH THE WARMEST CONDITIONS ALONG THE LEE SLOPES OF THE
HIGHER TERRAIN. MAINLY 30S ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE SAN LUIS
VALLEY.
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
ISSUED AT 1233 AM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST, WITH HIGH PRESSURE
TO THE WEST GRADUALLY SHIFTING SOUTH, AND FLOW BECOMING MORE
ZONAL ACROSS COLORADO.
FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS
THE AREA ON FRIDAY, BEFORE BEGINNING TO FLATTEN ON SATURDAY.
HIGH TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY WILL ONCE AGAIN WARM A COUPLE
DEGREES FURTHER, WITH MID 80S TO LOWER 90S ACROSS THE PLAINS,
AND NEAR 80 OVER THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL
REMAIN EXCEPTIONALLY LOW, HOWEVER, WINDS WILL BE LIGHT, WITH
JUST ISOLATED POCKETS OF AFTERNOON ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER
CONCERNS. BY SATURDAY, FLOW TRANSITIONS MORE WESTERLY ZONAL,
WITH INCREASED MIXING AND STRONGER SURFACE WINDS. FOR AREAS
ALONG AND WEST OF I-25, CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
FORECAST, WITH VERY LOW HUMIDITY VALUES AND GUSTY WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 30 MPH. EAST OF I-25, WILL BE VERY DRY, BUT WINDS WILL
BE A LIMITING FACTOR. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO WARM, WITH
THE HOTTEST READINGS OF THE WEEK, HIGHS TOPPING OUT IN THE UPPER
80S TO MID 90S ON THE PLAINS. THESE HIGHS WILL LIKELY BREAK ALL
TIME RECORD MARCH TEMPERATURES BY SEVERAL DEGREES!
SUNDAY AND MONDAY...AN UPPER TROUGH IS FORECAST TO PASS TO THE
NORTH, SENDING A COLD FRONT SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS SUNDAY
MORNING. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
PASSING FRONT, AND THE MAIN UPPER SHORTWAVE IS WELL TO THE
NORTH. ISOLATED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY
AND SUNDAY EVENING FOR THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS, MAINLY NORTH OF
COTTONWOOD PASS. SOME MODEL GUIDANCE IS DEVELOPING LIGHT
PRECIPITATION OVER TELLER COUNTY, INTO THE PALMER DIVIDE, BUT
OVERALL MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO TREND DRIER. MONDAY
WILL BE A TRANSITION DAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO REBUILD TO
THE WEST. WHILE TEMPERATURES BOTH DAYS WILL BE COOLER, THEY WILL
STILL BE ABOUT 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, WITH 60S AND 70S
FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...UPPER RIDGING REBUILDS TO THE WEST AND
BEGINS TO IMPACT THE REGION. THIS WILL HELP TEMPERATURES REBOUND
BACK THROUGH THE 80S, WITH PERHAPS A FEW LOWER 90S ON THE PLAINS
BY WEDNESDAY. WE WILL ALSO LIKELY SEE A RETURN TO ELEVATED FIRE
WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION BOTH DAYS.
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 526 AM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
KCOS, KPUB, AND KALS: VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24
HOURS. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT, AROUND AND LESS THAN 10 KNOTS, AND
DIURNALLY DRIVEN THROUGH THIS TAF PERIOD. OTHERWISE, DRY CONDITIONS
WITH OCCASIONAL POCKETS OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS IS ANTICIPATED.
CLIMATE
ISSUED AT 102 PM MDT WED MAR 18 2026
LCD SITES MARCH 19TH-21ST RECORD HIGHS
ALS...THU...MAR 19...72F...1907
ALS...FRI...MAR 20...72F...2004
ALS...SAT...MAR 21...72F...1997
COS...THU...MAR 19...80F...2017
COS...FRI...MAR 20...76F...2017
COS...SAT...MAR 21...75F...1995
PUB...THU...MAR 19...86F...2017
PUB...FRI...MAR 20...84F...2017
PUB...SAT...MAR 21...82F...2016
THE ALL TIME RECORD MARCH MAX TEMP FOR ALAMOSA .........IS 76.
THE ALL TIME RECORD MARCH MAX TEMP FOR COLORADO SPRINGS IS 81.
THE ALL TIME RECORD MARCH MAX TEMP FOR PUEBLO ..........IS 86.
PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
SHORT TERM...MOZLEY
LONG TERM...MOZLEY
AVIATION...SIMCOE
CLIMATE...MOORE
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