The wind in Colorado Springs moved fast enough to get a ticket on some stretches of Interstate 25. 

By 5 p.m., the city recorded a peak gust of 81 mph at the airport, speeds exceeding the posted limit on some stretches of highway. However, it was about 10 mph short of the record 91 mph, seen in 2019 during a bomb cyclone event. Winds consistently measured between 20 and 40 mph.

POWER OUTAGES

Although prepared for possible wind-induced outages, Colorado Springs Utilities’ online outage map only showed one customer affected as of 5 p.m.

Black Hills Energy, which provides power to parts of Pueblo, Canon City, Victor and Cripple Creek, shut off power for roughly 90 people in North Pueblo around 1:45 p.m. By 5:30 p.m., it restored power to the area, according to an update on its webpage.

Several outages were also reported in Denver, according to Xcel Energy. Throughout the metro area, as of 6:30 p.m., the utility company reported 13 outages affecting 87 people. 

AIRPORTS

The Colorado Springs Airport did not see any weather-related delays, according to a spokesperson. While 11 flights were delayed, these were not due to weather. Eight delays were due to air traffic control issues. The other three were delayed by crew issues, according to a spokesperson at the airport. 

It was a different story at Denver International Airport, where departing flights averaged delays of about 2 hours and 35 minutes due to the wind, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Arrivals were only delayed by about 15 minutes, according to the FAA. 

There were 1,041 delays at DIA and approximately 90 cancellations, according to FlightAware, an online website that tracks air traffic. A majority of the cancellations, 61, were SkyWest flights, while Southwest accounted for 24 and United the rest. One flight was cancelled in Denver due to a maintenance issue. 

FIRES

Most of the eastern half of Colorado was under a red flag warning, according to NWS. The warning for Colorado Springs and El Paso County expired at 7 p.m.

A red flag warning means there are elevated risks of fire, usually due to warm weather, low humidity and dry conditions. 

A vegetation fire just southwest of Limon grew to an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 acres and jumped Highway 181, according to the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office. As of 5 p.m., the fire’s advancement toward Highway 71 had been stopped, and crews will remain on the scene Tuesday night, the sheriff’s office said.

Earlier, an evacuation order was issued for the area from County Road 2T to County Road 22 and north to County Road 2W as the fire moved toward the Lincoln County line, a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office alert said. The order was later lifted, according to the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire, named the County Road 169 Highway 24 fire, jumped the highway south of County Road 74. It jumped County Road 197 around 2:30 p.m.

Fifteen engines, eight tenders and at least six fire entities, including Elbert and Lincoln counties, Aurora, North Metro, Elizabeth and Ellicott Fire Protection District, responded.

KOAA Meteorologist Alex O’Brien said winds will subside on Wednesday and Thursday with gusts of up to 40 mph. Temperatures will drop to the upper 30s by Friday, when there is a chance of light snow.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said high winds and dust are expected to cause hazardous driving conditions in southeast Colorado through Thursday. Motorists may encounter proactive road closures due to limited visibility. Areas south of U.S. Highway 50, including I-25 south of Pueblo and U.S. 287 south of Lamar, may continue to experience safety closures.

Traffic impacts

South of Pueblo, a major car crash killed four and injured nearly 30 others. Officials said high winds kicked up dust and other debris creating a brown out.

Visibility on the road was severely limited, they said.

Northbound Interstate 25 south of Pueblo remains closed as crews work to clear wreckage from the highway. Southbound I-25, which was closed as a result of the crash, reopened at about 2:30.

Denver Gazette reporter Kyla Pearce contributed to this report