High Wind in West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

At 8:15 AM MDT, the KMYP AWOS station on Monarch Pass, CO recorded a wind gust to 78 mph. The only other gust recorded in this zone was at the Carbonate Hill mesonet site, with a gust to 46 mph at 11:00 AM MDT. The KMYP AWOS is the highest elevation wind sensor in this region. No reports of damages, injuries, or fatalities were received.

A cold front pushed through eastern Utah and western Colorado in the days prior to these high winds, turning the upper level frow from zonal to northwesterly. The cooler air moving in behind the front limited mixing for lower elevation locations, but high peaks continued to tap into the 50-70 knot 500 hPa jet. These winds mixed down in the days following the cold front passage.