Hazy skies, high winds and fire risk on tap for most of the week in Pueblo
High winds are expected to whip dust into the air and increase the risk of wildfires in Pueblo this week, weather officials said Monday.
The clouds of dust contributed to air quality readings ranging from 31 to 13 Monday, which remain in the under-50 satisfactory category. Puebloans were advised by Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment officials to stay indoors, especially if they are affected by asthma, allergies or other health conditions.
"Dust particles are in the air, so if you are sensitive to allergens or dust, you may experience symptoms and want to stay indoors. If your symptoms worsen, contact a health care provider," said Sarah Joseph, public information officer for the health department.
More: Fire restrictions, including fireworks ban, imposed in Pueblo amid dry, windy conditions
Puebloans can keep track of real-time air quality data by visiting county.pueblo.org and clicking on the green box. The data tracks fine particles in the air which are 2.5 microns or smaller and can go deep into the lungs, Joseph said.
What is the cause of the prolonged high winds?
A jet stream is forming a band of very strong, predominantly westerly air currents that aren’t just impacting Colorado but were spread across Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, northern Texas and parts of Kansas and Oklahoma Monday.
“We are not used to having a jet stream over us for this long of a period of time,” said Mike Hodanish, meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Pueblo office.
“We expect winds for a few hours during the day but don’t usually get them over several days.”
The winds started to kick up Sunday evening causing dust particles to form a thick haze that had many residents wondering if it was caused by smoke from nearby fires.
“The brunt, if not all of this, is just dust,” Hodanish explained.
Sustained wind and gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour from the west and southwest continued to buffet the region throughout most of the day Monday, preventing the haze from dissipating.
“The winds are definitely howling – we've had gusts of 72 miles per hour in Wetmore and 68 miles per hour in Beulah,” Hodanish said.
If something were to spark a blaze in the current conditions, “it would be really ugly,” Hodanish said, adding that he was “shocked” that there haven’t been more fires.
Air quality should improve after Monday, he said. "But if we get a fire, the air quality is going to go down the toilet real quick,” he added.
More: Pueblo under 'extreme critical' fire conditions
Red flag warnings — triggered by extremely critical fire conditions like warmer than normal temperatures, low humidity and strong winds — will be in effect most of the week, Hodanish said.
Winds will decrease a bit starting Monday, and “it should be nice Tuesday morning," he said.
"It may not be too bad until the afternoon when the expected 20 to 30 mile per hour winds kick up again in Pueblo.”
With temperatures forecast to reach the high 80s on Tuesday, a fire weather watch will be in effect.
More severe red flag warnings will return and “it looks like it will be windier” Wednesday, with a high of 91 degrees, Hodanish said. Thursday, the high is expected to reach 82 degrees, he said.
Puebloans can expect to see less dust in the skies Tuesday, but depending on “how much of it is aloft,” the haze probably won’t completely dissipate, he said.
Pueblo County has had a fire ban in effect since mid-April and the Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands public lands managers enacted Stage 1 fire restrictions on Friday.
"Unfortunately, there is no moisture in the forecast. There is no precipitation expected for the next four or five days," Hodanish said.
Extreme weather: Wind gusts up to 70 mph expected in Pueblo County Wednesday afternoon: What to know
Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Wind, dusty skies and red flag warnings on tap in Pueblo
