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Calm Saturday, high fire danger Sunday, and snow in the extended forecast

Mild Saturday with high fire danger Sunday and Monday
Fire Weather Watches are in place Sunday for southern Colorado
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Today’s Forecast:
Calm and beautiful weather is in the cards today in southern Colorado as a ridge of high pressure moves overhead and then shifts eastward through the day. Winds will remain light all day, variable direction this morning and generally southerly this afternoon. Skies will be mostly sunny in the morning with increasing afternoon clouds as the high moves east and a bit of upper-level pacific moisture moves overhead.

Overall - it's a quiet and mild day by early January standards, and the pick outdoor day for activities thanks to the light wind.

Colorado Springs forecast: High: 56; Low: 35.
Mostly sunny until 3:00 PM, then increasing high and eventually mid level clouds into the evening. Light variable AM winds, southerly PM winds remaining light...0-10 mph.

Pueblo forecast: High: 60; Low: 32.
Sunny and mild - with south winds shifting southeast this afternoon at 5-10 mph. Not a lot to say about this forecast other than "very nice". Clouds should roll in during late afternoon.

Canon City forecast: High: 61; Low: 38.
A few high clouds but otherwise sunny and mild with west winds at 5-10 mph this morning shifting south and remaining light in the afternoon.

Woodland Park forecast: High: 53; Low: 32.
Mostly sunny with southwest winds at 5-10 mph.

Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 50s; Low: 30s.
Sunny until 3:00 PM, then increasing high and mid level clouds becoming mostly cloudy. South winds at 5-10 mph.

Plains forecast: High: 60s; Low: 30s.
Sunny and mild with south winds at 10-15 mph.

Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 62/64; Low: 35/38.
Sunny with west winds at 10-15 mph - becoming windy tonight with increasing clouds.

Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 20s.
Sunny with southwest winds at 5-10 mph with increasing clouds after 2:00 PM.

Extended outlook forecast:
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect Sunday from Denver south to Trinidad, including all counties along I-25 and most of the southern I-25 corridor, from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Avoid outdoor burning and activities that could produce a spark.

Wind will increase early west of I-25, with 20-30 mph gusts by 6 AM close to the mountains, with some stronger embedded gusts. Winds will be gustiest from late morning through mid-afternoon. Humidity will drop to between 10-15%, leading to the high fire threat. This is primarily along I-25. The winds won't mix down as well across the plains.

The dry downslope wind also means warm highs. Sunday is the warmest day of the extended forecast with non-mountain areas in the mid 60s, to low 70s. Skies will be partly cloudy due to wave clouds.

The wind quickly dies down after sunset as the wind will not have an easy way to mix down from the upper atmosphere. But, the wind returns again Monday morning with a very similar pattern. You can again expect 20-30 mph gusts, stronger gusts closer to the mountains, and dry air leading to high fire danger. It will be slightly "cooler", with highs only warming to the low to mid 60s for most low elevation zones - which is still 15 degrees above average.

Highs Tuesday will be in the mid-50s, with noticeable but weaker downslope breezes. It won't be as gusty as Sunday or Monday.

Wednesday continues to tick down with temperatures in the low 50s.

A pattern change arrives Thursday as low pressure approaches from Alaska. There are some details to work out with this set up, as several areas of low pressure are involved and the overall timeline spans between Thursday and Saturday. For now, there's a chance of rain, mixed precipitation and snow, with the exact timing and amounts still to be ironed out. This doesn't look like a major event, but some moisture seems likely. The EURO is a bit Stay tuned.

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