High Wind — Kit Carson County, Colorado

2025-03-14 · Kit Carson County, Colorado

Event narrative

Winds began gusting over 58 MPH just before 10 AM LST and continued until just before 3 PM LST. The peak recorded wind gust was 60 MPH at 1130 LST from the Burlington ASOS. Blowing dust did result from these strong winds causing Interstate 70 to be closed, but no visibilities below 1/2 mile were reported. Stronger winds were reported at the Burlington ASOS, however they occurred along with convection and will be entered as such in other events.

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 1237700. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.