High Wind — Cheyenne County, Colorado

2025-03-14 · Cheyenne County, Colorado

Event narrative

Starting at 0950 LST, mesonets began reporting gusts at 62 MPH. 1330 LST was the last recorded gust above 58 MPH, however gusts above 50 MPH continued into the late afternoon. The peak gust was 85 MPH recorded at UP 694, east of Arapahoe. These strong winds kicked up dust, causing a dust storm.

Wider weather episode

During the morning of the 14th, northwesterly winds began speeding up as a cold front moved across the region from the northwest to the east. Eastern Colorado saw winds up to 85 MPH that lofted dust, causing visibilities to drop to around 200 feet in Cheyenne county. U.S. Highway 40 and Interstate 70 were both shut down due to the hazardous conditions. Conditions began to improve in the early to mid-afternoon. Scattered storms also occurred and assisted in 70 MPH winds reaching the surface.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1237693. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.