High Wind — Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

2024-03-02 · Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

Event narrative

Numerous mesonet sites across Colorado Zone 003 reported wind gusts above high wind thresholds during the day on March 2nd. The peak gust of 83 mph was recorded at both the mesonet site 1W Douglas Pass and the site 139s034 Douglass Pass between 1200 and 1500. Other recorded gusts in the zone ranged from 45 mph to 80 mph.

Wider weather episode

A strong Pacific low pressure trough moved into the Pacific Northwest and dropped south through the Great Basin in the days leading up to March 1st. At the base of this trough, a 160 knot jet aloft tracked overhead of eastern Utah and western Colorado beginning on the 1st, with daytime heating starting to mix down these much stronger southwest winds. Winds peaked during the late morning and afternoon hours on the 2nd as the pressure gradient through the atmosphere tightened up ahead of a strong cold front. Strongest winds were observed just prior to the cold front's passage, and led to numerous reports of power outages, downed trees, and even a few small brush fires.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1168906. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.