High Wind in C & S Weld County, Colorado

Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph swept across southern Weld County during the evening of the 17th. A station one mile west of Masters recorded a 65 mph wind gusts. Other strong wind gusts were recorded in the Mead and Johnstown areas.

Downslope high wind event along the Front Range of Colorado produced wind damage and critical fire weather conditions. Peak wind gust estimated to reach 109 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab, with several reports over 80 mph in/near the base of the foothills. Critical fire weather conditions resulted from the high winds and low humidity. Power poles were snapped along Highway 93 between Golden and Boulder. Total power outages were near 139,000, including the 50,000 in the PSPS. A plane was flipped due to high winds at the Boulder Municipal airport. Several trees were also snapped in/near the foothills, including some on the University of Colorado campus (which was closed for the day). Some closures of state highways occurred, some planned and unplanned, due to the strong winds. These included sections of US-287, CO-93, US-36, and CO-128.

Over the northeast plains, a surge of west winds advanced eastward during the evening hours producing several gusts in the 55 to 75 mph range. The strongest wind gust on the plains during the evening hours was a 89 mph wind gust at the Akron airport.