High Wind — Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

2024-05-18 · Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus, Colorado

Event narrative

Wind gusts across the zone ranged from 45 mph to 85 mph. The peak gust of 85 mph occurred at the Pine Ridge, Cameo 6NW RAWS late on the evening of the 18th. The wind gusts across this zone seemed to peak as the shortwave was pushing the stalled front out of its position near the Wyoming border.

Wider weather episode

A cold front stalled out just north of the Colorado/Wyoming border late on the 16th and into the early hours of the 17th. This front remained in place through the evening of the 18th before an approaching wave finally pushed it out of the way. Ahead (south) of this boundary, the pressure gradient tightened up enough to allow for some strong wind gusts across portions of northwest Colorado.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1181612. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.