High Wind — Morgan County, Colorado

2022-04-10 · Morgan County, Colorado

Event narrative

Peak wind gusts included: 74 mph at Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, 68 mph in Fort Morgan, 67 mph near Brush, 65 mph near Wiggins, and 60 mph near Goodrich. Two wildfires, one near Wiggins and the other near Fort Morgan, quickly spread as a result of the high winds.

Wider weather episode

Strong winds from 58 to 74 mph developed over northeast plains of Colorado during the afternoon. Grassfires developed over Morgan County, one northwest of Wiggins and another just south of Fort Morgan. The fire near Wiggins burned at total of 40 acres. Colorado Department of Transportation issued a high wind restriction for Interstate 76. CO34 was closed for a brief time in Morgan County due to the fire. The smoke severely limited visibilities to near zero and contributed to an accident involving 3 vehicles, all of which were minor. In Logan County, a downed tree near Sterling damaged two parked vehicles. Downed power lines near Sterling also sparked a small grassfire. A fence was blown down and a chicken coop was damaged near Iliff. Peak wind gusts up to 74 mph were observed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1007403. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.