Strong winds blowing across the Eastern Plains in southern Colorado will create critical fire conditions and dust storms that may temporarily shut down interstates and highways, according to the National Weather Service.
The strongest wind gusts are forecast south of Interstate 70, and a red flag warning will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday for Lincoln and Elbert counties, according to the weather service.
The windy weather is expected to shift overnight to the Front Range foothills, where up to 75 mph gusts will be possible, forecasters said in an alert. A high wind watch will be in effect from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 7 a.m. Thursday for parts of Larimer, Boulder, Jefferson, Douglas, Park, Gilpin, Clear Creek and Broomfield counties.
“Damaging winds could break tree limbs and blow down fences,” forecasters wrote in the alert. “Travel could be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.”
High winds and dust will create hazardous driving conditions across southeast Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a news release from the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The department plans to proactively close roads with limited visibility in areas south of U.S. 50, including Interstate 25 south of Pueblo and U.S. 287 south of Lamar.
“Windy weather can kick up at a moment’s notice — and if you’re behind the wheel, you may have little time to react,” state transportation officials stated in the release. “Strong winds can jostle your vehicle and others’ on the road, topple power lines and litter the ground with debris.”
When strong winds kick up enough dust, visibility drops and driving becomes dangerous, state transportation officials said.
“A dust storm usually arrives suddenly in the form of an advancing wall of dust and debris which may be miles long and several thousand feet high,” officials stated. “They strike with little warning.”
The storms usually last only a few minutes, but they can quickly cause chain collisions and massive pileups — like the 36-car crash that killed four people on I-25 near Pueblo on Tuesday.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, drivers who encounter a dust storm should:
- Avoid driving into or through the dust storm if possible.
- Make sure to have their headlights on.
- Not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if possible.
- Not stop in a travel lane and look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
- Stop the vehicle at a safe distance from the main roadway and away from other vehicles.
- Turn off all vehicle lights, including the emergency flashers, while parked. Other vehicles approaching from behind may use lights as a guide, possibly crashing into the parked vehicle.
- Set the emergency brake and take their foot off the brake pedal.
- Stay in the vehicle with their seatbelt buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
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