Strong winds move into Front Range Wednesday afternoon through Friday

Strong winds, including gusts up to 75 mph, will whip around the Front Range Wednesday afternoon through Friday.

The winds, which will move in from the northwest, are expected to range from 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) out of Boulder. By Wednesday evening, NWS Boulder said a gust of 88 mph was recorded in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

A High Wind Warning is in effect for the foothills from noon Wednesday through noon Friday, where gusts will range from 70 to 80 mph. This area covers the northern Front Range foothills, the southern Front Range foothills, Larimer County below 6,000 feet, northwest Weld County, Boulder, and the western suburbs of Denver, according to NWS. Power outages are possible.

The same warning is in place for the eastern plains, where gusts will blow about 65 mph from midnight tonight until 6 p.m. Thursday. NWS said this area will see calmer winds Thursday morning before they pick up again.

This front will bring snow to the mountains Wednesday afternoon and evening. The blowing snow will cause hazardous driving conditions in areas. As it moves east, it may bring a few snow showers along the plains late Wednesday, the NWS said.

Thursday and Friday will continue to see strong winds across the Front Range, foothills and eastern plains with gusts up to 60 mph on the plains and up to 75 mph in the foothills, NWS said.

This has created a concern for fire dangers as humidity levels drop to between 15 and 25%.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said there are high winds between US 24 and County Road 60 and drivers of all high-profile or lightweight vehicles should exercise caution. As of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, northbound Interstate 25 is closed from milepost 281 to the Wyoming border for those types of vehicles, according to CSP in Larimer County.

The NWS said strong winds also ripped around the Front Range overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

“This is just a preview of what's to come as strong winds are expected through Friday morning,” the NWS said in a tweet.