High winds developed across parts of the I-25 corridor and northeast plains of Colorado. Peak wind gusts included: 79 mph in Applewood, 63 mph near Akron, 61 mph, 8 miles south of Holyoke; 60 mph at Denver International Airport, 59 mph near Bennett, with 58 mph at Limon Airport and near Sterling.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
High winds developed across parts of the I-25 corridor and northeast plains of Colorado. Peak wind gusts included: 79 mph in Applewood, 63 mph near Akron, 61 mph, 8 miles south of Holyoke; 60 mph at Denver International Airport, 59 mph near Bennett, with 58 mph at Limon Airport and near Sterling. Strong winds also knocked a semi-truck along I-25 near Wellington.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 4, 8:41 PM MST, 6 hours 21 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 841 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 .UPDATE... Issued at 841 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 Cold front had pushed across all of the plains this evening, with much cooler air arriving. Satellite imagery shows remarkable diffluence aloft, and a band of precipitation underneath this is rapidly developing on the eastern plains toward Fort Morgan and Limon. The low levels are still very dry per large current T/Td spreads, although with this much diffluence aloft I wouldn't be surprised to see the band survive as it moves east into more favorable and not as dry subcloud layer. Could see a quick dusting to 1/2" with this band. Meanwhile, blast of winds along the Front Range has abated slightly. Peak gusts into the 50-65+ mph range occurred when the surface gradient maxed out earlier this evening. Right now, a weak anticyclone has developed, which has given a further decrease in winds across most of Denver. However, later tonight, winds should pick back up again as stronger, deeper subsidence moves across the Front Range. In the mountains, snow has been falling but the heaviest was mostly confined to the Rabbit Ears pass area earlier this evening. Looks like accumulations so far are mainly in the 1-3 inch range, with up to 5 inches or so near Rabbit Ears. Should see another 1-4 overnight with the strong orographics but moisture gradually thins in the strongly subsident environment. Winter Weather Advisory will continue through mid morning Monday. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 258 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 A potent short wave trough will cross our area from later today through Monday. Winds (and thus fire danger) and mountain snows will be the biggest impacts through Monday. First, the mountains. The moisture and lift are just now getting to the Park Range in northern Colorado. The 700 mb cold front is impressive, dropping temperatures 11-13 degC over about a 12 hour period through about midnight tonight. QG lift is maximized through 06Z and then the trough axis crosses our area, resulting in strong subsidence dominating the northern half of Colorado from 12Z through the rest of Monday. The 500 mb trough has an impressive cold pool associated with it as well, with a temp around -34degC. Thus, main snowfall mechanism after midnight will be associated with 700 mb front, west- northwest orographics, and convective instability. The winter weather advisory looks good through 18Z Monday with 3-7 inches expected across the northern mountains, and along and north of I-70. Conditions along I-70 from Vail Pass to the Eisenhower tunnel will quickly deteriorate after about 5 PM given the forcing is frontal and convective, plus wind gusts over 50 mph across the higher passes from early evening into the overnight hours. Isolated amounts if the convective snowfall is as good as expected could reach up to 10 inches, especially the Park, Gore, and northern Front Ranges through midday Monday. Light orographic snow is still possible past midnight Tuesday morning, but additional accumulation from Monday afternoon and beyond will be very light. Winds will pick up from the Continental Divide down the east slope after midnight, behind the 700 mb front, with gusts 50-60 mph possible. The Plains will be dry through Monday and beyond with the main impact being the strong winds. The 700 mb front comes crashing through the area later this evening. 700 mb temps drop 15 degC in about 12 hours. A classic bora event looks likely overnight and through Monday evening. Winds this evening could be briefly very strong, possibly exceeding high wind warning criteria, from Fort Collins north to the Wyoming border along I-25. We have thus issued a high wind warning for this area with the idea that the strong winds are likely from Fort Collins north to Wyoming and along the Cheyenne Ridge from 5 PM this evening through 5 PM Monday. Travelers should use caution along I-25 this afternoon/evening and through Monday given the likelihood of very strong west winds. Cold advection tonight and through Monday will keep temperatures below normal. High temperatures Monday will only be in the low 40s across the Plains, and with the 25-45 mph winds it will feel a lot colder than that. Right now it looks like the strongest winds will be from the Cheyenne Ridge southeast to Washington County. Far northeast Colorado could see sustained west-northwest winds around 50 mph with gusts to 65 mph Monday afternoon, and we have a high wind warning out for those areas through early evening Monday. The surface winds are due to strong subsidence behind the trough axis, and 700 mb winds 50-60 kts will mix winds down to the surface mid morning through the afternoon across the Plains. The boundary layer looks well mixed up to 600 mb. The air at the surface across the plains continues to be very dry, leading to critical fire weather conditions Monday afternoon. Details in the discussion below. Winds should finally start to abate area-wide as the trough pulls northeast of the area and the boundary layer decouples by the late evening. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) Issued at 258 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 Strong circulation around a deepening sfc and upper-level cyclone spinning across the Upper Midwest will continue to produce 30-40 mph wind gusts across the nern corner of the state Monday evening. These speeds down from those earlier in the day. Evening winds in the Front Range mtns and foothills nearly as strong. Expect to see winds at lower elevations easing overnight with decoupling and weakening of downward motion aloft. Meanwhile, in the high country, moisture carried along by the strong nwly flow will continue to produce scattered orographic snow showers in the northern mtn ranges until morning. New accumulations less than 2 inches on north-northwest slopes. On Tuesday, models show the Midwest cyclone wobbling westward putting nern Colorado under a 50-90kt 600-450mb northwest flow. Besides the increasing flow aloft, models show the cross state pressure gradient quickly ramping up towards morning potentially generating gusty downslope winds to 30-45 mph in and near the foothills. Later Tuesday morning the downslope pres gradient and associated mtn wave relax leading to a reduction in wind speeds along the Front Range south of Fort Collins. Later in the day, the pres gradient axis shifts to nw-to-se aligning with the strong flow aloft. Northwesterly sfc winds of 30-45 mph across the nern plains of Colorado through the afternoon will continue to advect cold air down from Wyoming holding max temps on the plains to the 40s. Incoming air also quite dry, but not as dry as that today or tomorrow. Later shifts will need to evaluate the need for a Fire Weather Watch across the northeast quarter of the CWA Tuesday afternoon. Mtn areas on Tuesday still windy up high but dry and cool. Tuesday night winds should quickly slack off with the Midwest storm system tracking southeast towards the Ohio River Valley. The area still under northwest flow but no where as strong. Wednesday through Thursday, temperatures are expected to rebound above average by Wednesday and much above average by Thursday with a passing upper ridge and warm/dry airmass. Max temps in the 50s at lower elevations by Wednesday and 60s on Thursday. Winds both days generally light. On Friday, medium range models show the upper ridge flattening as a strong cold and wet zonal jet level flow sags south out of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies. The nrn mtns could begin to feel the effects of the flow in the form of snow by Friday morning and eventually across all of the forecast area Friday night through Saturday night. Precip chances for the plains appears low during this period, while mtn areas could end up with decent snow accumulation. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night) Issued at 841 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 Main impact at all metro area terminals will be the winds. The current anticyclone which is creating havoc with the short term wind forecast is expected to gradually wash out as a stronger and deeper subsidence moves across. This should bring a return of northwesterly winds which may be gusty up to 20-30 knots overnight, with gusts up to 40 knots possible at KBJC. Until then, will have to adjust to the latest short term trends. By mid- morning Monday, mixing will increase the west-northwest winds increasing again, with gusts possibly exceeding 40 kts at all Front Range Airports. We need to mention the potential for blowing dust Monday afternoon at DEN. Blowing dust is not likely but with gusts over 40 kts it is a possibility. The winds should start to abate 01Z-02Z Tuesday area wide to 10-15 kts or so, but remain out of the northwest. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 841 PM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 Northwest winds will increase in speed mid-morning Monday and continue through early evening. Despite the much cooler temperatures, the air behind the cold front is still exceptionally dry (RH 10-15% on Monday afternoon), leading to yet another critical if not extreme fire weather day, with winds stronger than today. Thus, we have a Red Flag Warning for all of the plains and Palmer Divide from 10 AM through 6 PM Monday. Winds will subside after 7 PM or so Monday evening and RH will recover, finally reducing the fire weather threat overnight. During the day Tuesday, strong and gusty northwest winds are again expected to develop on the plains of northeast Colorado by late morning. Although temperatures will be much cooler and min RH values in the 20s, sustained wind speeds of 20-30 mph and gusts to 40 mph may warrant the issuance of the Fire Weather Watch for this area at some point. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 8 AM to 5 PM MST Monday for COZ042-044- 048>051. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM to 6 PM MST Monday for COZ238>251. Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM MST Monday for COZ031-033- 034. High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST Monday for COZ038. && UPDATE...Barjenbruch SHORT TERM...Schlatter LONG TERM...Baker AVIATION...Barjenbruch FIRE WEATHER...Barjenbruch
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 1059 AM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 COZ030>051-050600- Jackson County Below 9000 Feet- West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet- Grand and Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet- South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/ Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet- South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/ Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above 9000 Feet-Larimer and Boulder Counties Between 6000 and 9000 Feet- Jefferson and West Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet/Gilpin/Clear Creek/Northeast Park Counties Below 9000 Feet- Central and Southeast Park County- Larimer County Below 6000 Feet/Northwest Weld County- Boulder And Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet/West Broomfield County- North Douglas County Below 6000 Feet/Denver/West Adams and Arapahoe Counties/East Broomfield County- Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet- Northeast Weld County-Central and South Weld County-Morgan County- Central and East Adams and Arapahoe Counties- North and Northeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/North Lincoln County- Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County- Logan County-Washington County-Sedgwick County-Phillips County- 1059 AM MST Sun Mar 4 2018 ...Strong Winds, High to Extreme Fire Danger on the Plains and High Country Snow and Blowing Snow Through Monday... This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Critical fire weather conditions are are occurring and will continue through early this evening across the plains of northeast Colorado as well as the Palmer Ridge and foothills south of I-70. Winds will be gusting as high as 45 mph from the south- southwest through this afternoon with relative humidities getting down to 10% during the afternoon. By late afternoon, early evening a wind shift to a west- northwesterly direction is expected with continued strong winds across eastern Colorado. In the mountains, light to moderate snow will begin late this morning and continue through tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday High to extreme fire weather conditions are expected on Monday across northeast and east central Colorado. Although it will be much cooler on Monday, strong northwest winds will combine with low relative humidity to potentially produce critical rangeland fire behavior. Sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph and gusts from 50 to 60 mph are expected from the Front Range foothills eastward. In the high country, light snowfall will continue through Monday morning, mainly on the ridgetops and west facing slopes, where only light accumulations are expected. Northwest winds of 25 to 45 mph and gusts to around 65 mph will also produce areas of blowing snow in the mountains and higher foothills which could significantly reduce visibilities at times through Monday evening. For the rest of the week, it will be dry and slightly warmer on the plains, while mountain areas will have a slight chance of snow on Tuesday and Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today or tonight. Schlatter/Baker
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds knocked a semi-truck over near Wellington.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2018
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 742575, 742581, 742580, 742578, 742579, 742582, 742576, 742577.