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Very thick smoke & poor air quality today for Southern Colorado

Smoky Falcon sunset
Posted at 6:41 AM, Aug 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-07 08:41:47-04

Today's Forecast:
Air quality across the state will take a nose dive today as thick smoke from wildfires in California, the western U.S., and parts of Canada filters into Southern Colorado. An Air Quality Alert will remain in effect until at least 9 am Sunday for the entire region. Take it easy today if you have a respiratory condition, and even if you're healthy, it might be best today to avoid prolonged periods of time outdoors.

COLORADO SPRINGS: High: 88; Low: 57. Very thick smoke will filter into the Pikes Peak Region throughout the day on Saturday, with an Air Quality Alert in effect for all of El Paso County.

PUEBLO: High: 95; Low: 58. Cooler than yesterday, but warmer than average for this time of the year. Thick smoke will be the main story today, with an Air Quality Alert in effect for Pueblo County.

CANON CITY: High: 92; Low: 59. Hot and hazy, with areas of thick smoke and an Air Quality Alert for Fremont County today.

WOODLAND PARK: High: 78; Low: 50. Smoky skies will blanket Teller County for least the next 18-24 hours, with an Air Quality Alert in effect through 9 am Sunday.

TRI-LAKES: High: 70s/80s; Low: 50s. We'll see thick smoke, and a warm and a hazy start to the weekend near the Palmer Divide. Plan something inside today in case the smoke is too much of an irritant.

PLAINS: High: 90s; Low: 50s/60s. Hot and smoky for the Plains this afternoon. A frontal boundary could trigger some afternoon thunderstorms over the far east Plains, mainly from Kiowa County south to Baca County.

WALSENBURG/TRINIDAD: High: 80s/90s; Low: 50s. Smoky skies and a warm summer day can be expected for the southern I-25 corridor on Saturday. Any storms that develop this afternoon should stay pretty far to our east, mainly over eastern Las Animas and Baca counties.

MOUNTAINS: High: 70s/80s; Low: 40s. A drier pattern is expected to settle into the mountains this weekend, with thick smoke the main story...not rain.

Extended Outlook:
High pressure will expand back towards Colorado starting on Sunday, setting the stage for a warming trend as we roll into early next week. Highs will climb a few days each afternoon through Monday before cooling a few degrees on Tuesday. As for the smoke...we can expect several rounds of thick smoke to persist through early next week, with some thinning of the smoke layer likely by Sunday morning.

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