456
FXUS65 KPUB 191936
AFDPUB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
136 PM 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 VALUES 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 FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 134 PM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
UPPER RIDGE IN PLACE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THE
PERIOD, WITH HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PERSIST. 700MB
TEMPS HAVE BEEN ON THE RISE, AND WILL STEADILY INCREASE
THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. GIVEN THIS TREND AND
ABUNDANCE OF SUNSHINE, DID INCREASE HIGHS FOR TODAY A FEW
DEGREES WITH MOST LOCATIONS OVER THE PLAINS AND MOUNTAIN VALLEYS
LIKELY ENDING UP WELL INTO THE 80S TODAY. RHS WILL BE LOW, IN
THE SINGLE DIGITS, BUT WITH THE LIGHTER WIND FIELD IN PLACE,
STILL DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS. MOST LOCATIONS WON'T SEE ANY PERSISTENT HIGHER WINDS
THIS AFTERNOON, HOWEVER, SPOTTY LOCATIONS OVER THE NORTHERN SAN
LUIS VALLEY AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS SHOULD SEE A SLIGHT SURGE IN
WINDS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AGAIN, AT THIS POINT, NOT ENOUGH TO
WARRANT ANY FIRE WEATHER HEADLINES TODAY.
NO REAL BIG SHIFT IN THE PATTERN AND OVERALL THERMAL FIELDS,
WITH ANOTHER HOT DAY IN THE 80S ANTICIPATED ACROSS SOUTHERN
COLORADO ON FRIDAY. DESPITE HOT TEMPERATURES AND RATHER DRY AIR
WITH RH VALUES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS, THE WIND FIELD REMAIN
LIGHT WITH CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS
TIME.
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
ISSUED AT 134 PM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
HOT CONDITIONS CONTINUE AT THE START OF THE PERIOD DESPITE THE
UPPER RIDGE BREAKING DOWN ON SATURDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN
INCREASING DEEP WESTERLIES OVER THE REGION AND SUPPORT
ADDITIONAL WARMING. WITH 700MB TEMPS PUSHING INTO THE MID TO
UPPER TEENS, LIMITED CLOUD COVER, AND WITH DEEP MIXING, SATURDAY
IS STILL ON TRACK TO BE THE HOTTEST DAY. GIVEN THESE TRENDS,
DID INCREASE HIGHS FOR SATURDAY, WITH TEMPS WELL IN THE 90S
LOOKING TO BE IN STORE FOR MOST LOCATIONS OVER THE PLAINS. WOULD
NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE TEMPS PUSH INTO THE UPPER 90S OVER THE
FAR EASTERN PLAINS. AIR MASS LOOKS TO BE EVEN DRIER, ESPECIALLY
LOOKING AT VARYING FORECAST SOUNDINGS, AND SO LOWERED DEW POINTS
IN THE AFTERNOON. BOTH ADJUSTMENTS ARE RESULTING IN RH VALUES
WELL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS. SURFACE WIND FIELD WILL INCREASE ON
SATURDAY, THOUGH DOES LOOK TO BE SLIGHTLY DELAYED FOR A PORTION
OF THE DAY. THESE HIGHER WINDS DO ARRIVE THROUGH THE MID
AFTERNOON TIME FRAME AND THEN INCREASE THROUGH EARLY EVENING.
THIS WILL SUPPORT WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
FOR AREAS ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND TO THE WEST. GIVEN THE
ANTICIPATED CONDITIONS, DID GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER
WATCH FOR THOSE AREAS ON SATURDAY. ELSEWHERE, RHS WILL BE LOW,
BUT THE WINDS WON'T BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT CRITICAL FIRE
WEATHER CONDITIONS.
FRONT WILL ARRIVE ON SUNDAY BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO
MOST LOCATIONS, HOWEVER, TEMPS WILL STILL BE ABOVE NORMAL FOR
THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. MAYBE SOME PRECIP DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE
HIGHER TERRAIN AS FLOW BACKS TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST, BUT
THESE CHANCES LOOK LOW AT THIS TIME. FIRE DANGER DOES LOWER ON
SUNDAY, BUT WITH CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS APPEARING
LIKELY ONCE AGAIN FOR THE MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. STRONGER ZONAL FLOW
WILL TRANSITION TO UPPER RIDGING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK
WITH TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN RISING TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL VALUES
FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. FIRE DANGER LOOKS TO REMAIN HIGH IN
THIS PATTERN, BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR OVERALL WIND FIELDS
THROUGH THE PERIOD.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 1113 AM MDT THU MAR 19 2026
VFR CONDITIONS AND DRY WEATHER ALONG WITH LIGHT AND DIURNALLY
DRIVEN WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED AT ALL SITES THIS FORECAST PERIOD.
CLIMATE
ISSUED AT 134 PM MDT THU MAR 19 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...RODRIGUEZ
LONG TERM...RODRIGUEZ
AVIATION...RODRIGUEZ
CLIMATE...MOORE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page