Strong and gusty winds impacted the Palmer Divide and adjacent plains east through Lincoln County from approximately 9 AM MDT (8 AM MST) to 5 PM MDT (4 PM MST). Peak winds were about 30 to 45 mph gusting 50 to 60 mph.
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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.
Strong and gusty winds impacted the Palmer Divide and adjacent plains east through Lincoln County from approximately 9 AM MDT (8 AM MST) to 5 PM MDT (4 PM MST). Peak winds were about 30 to 45 mph gusting 50 to 60 mph.
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 23, 4:14 AM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 514 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 343 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 An upper ridge will be moving in from northwest today. It will get breezy in the morning as a northerly jet max starts to move over ahead of it. Winds will continue to increase through the day and will become strong and gusty with afternoon mixing. Peak gusts will reach 45 to 55 mph widespread across the plains. Stronger gusts are expected around the Palmer Divide and plains to the south and east through Lincoln County, possibly exceeding 60 mph in many areas during the early afternoon. We have upgraded our High Wind Watch for this area to a Warning, still 10 am through 6 pm MDT. It is difficult to say exactly how strong winds will be. Brief ascent in the morning due to a very slight disturbance aloft turns over to very weak subsidence, almost neutral conditions, which is not ideal. Forecast soundings suggest mixing to around 700 to 650 mb where wind speeds should be in the 40 to 50 knot range. Models tend to over-mix and snow cover in the area may limit mixing somewhat as well. There is still a pretty strong pressure gradient between high pressure building over the Rockies and low pressure out on the central plains. Models are trending consistently stronger with winds and are typically more reliable around the warning area. Anyway, regardless of exact speeds, warning criteria gusts are likely to occur in the warning area early this afternoon. Winds will relax through the evening. It will be mostly clear, dry and warming today as the ridge moves over. Temperatures should be back to near normal by afternoon, with highs in the 50s across the plains, 40s in the foothills, and 20s and 30s in the higher country. Winds decrease through the evening and turn back to typical drainage overnight. Low temperatures will be in the 20s across the plains and single digits and teens in the high country. The mountain valleys will be the coldest under mostly clear skies and the lower foothills and adjacent plains will be warmest due to light downsloping drainage. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 343 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 Thursday will see warmer temperatures and less winds as weak high pressure builds with decreasing northwest flow aloft. A weak trof and associated cold front will drop into Northeast Colorado late Thursday night and early Friday where there could be some stratus and slightly cooler temperatures for daytime Friday, especially further east over the plains. Looks too dry for any precipitation. Less cooling further west towards the mountains. For the period through the weekend, model consensus is for building high pressure aloft across the region with continued warm advection. 700mb temperatures rise all the way to +8c to +9c by Sunday and Monday and will result in high temperatures in the 70s and possibly around 80 this weekend and into early next week. The record for Denver on March 29th is 79 so could see record breaking temperatures in this period. Still huge amount of uncertainty how the weather pattern may unfold next week. Split flow regime sets up and models having a hard time distributing where the energy is going to go. The European solution keeps energy well split while the GFS remains more consolidated which would spell better chances of rain and snow. For now will maintain cooler temperatures and a chance of rain and/or snow in the Tue- Wednesday time frame. Certainly a more unsettle period for next week. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday morning) Issued at 512 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 Expect VFR conditions through the TAF period under mostly clear skies. Moderate westerly to northwesterly winds around 10 knots will turn back northerly early this morning and increase in strength through the day. Peak afternoon gusts will likely reach around 35 to 40 knots. Winds will decrease through the evening and turn more westerly again, on their way to drainage overnight. There will be breezy northerly winds again Thursday but not as strong as today, peak gusts probably 25 to 30 knots in the afternoon. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning from 10 AM this morning to 5 PM MDT this afternoon for COZ041-046-047. && SHORT TERM...EJD LONG TERM...Entrekin AVIATION...EJD
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 400 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 COZ030>051-241000- 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- 400 AM MDT Wed Mar 23 2022 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE PALMER DIVIDE AND PLAINS SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH LINCOLN COUNTY... This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Breezy winds this morning will increase through the day, becoming strong and gusty by early afternoon. Peak gusts will reach 45 to 55 mph widespread across the plains. Stronger gusts are expected around the Palmer Divide and plains to the south and east through Lincoln County, possibly exceeding 60 mph in many areas during the early afternoon. We have upgraded our High Wind Watch for this area to a Warning, from 10 am through 6 pm MDT. Winds will decrease this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Dry with a warming trend this weekend and into early next week. Expect elevated fire danger on the plains by later this weekend and especially on Monday with low humidities and breezy conditons. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Northerly wind sustained at about 35 mph gusting up to 59 mph.
Northerly winds sustained at about 30 mph gusting up to 58 mph.
Northerly winds sustained at about 30 mph gusting up to 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2022
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: 1013760, 1013761, 1013762.