High Wind — West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

2025-10-04 · West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

At approximately 3:35 PM MDT on the 4th, the Monarch Pass AWOS recorded a gust to 79 mph. This was the peak gust of the day, but other high elevation gusts reached or exceeded 75 throughout the day. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received in association with this event.

Wider weather episode

A jet streak ahead of a shortwave trough tightened the pressure gradient aloft on October 4th. This, in addition to deep mixing and isolated convection, strengthened southwesterly winds primarily across central and west central Colorado. Most gusts fell below 55 mph, though localized areas of 70-80 mph winds in the mountains and 65-70 mph winds in the valleys were still exhibited.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1296933. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.