Strong wind gusts of 40 mph or more hit Salida and other parts of Chaffee County over the weekend and Monday ahead of a cold front that was forecast to bring snow to the high country and a mixture of snow and rain to lower elevations.
Gusts were measured as high as 48 mph at 12:35 a.m. Sunday at Salida Airport at Harriet Alexander Field and 45 mph at 2:15 p.m. Sunday at Central Colorado Regional Airport near Buena Vista.
Today’s National Weather Service forecast for Salida calls for partly sunny skies with a high near 43, low around 20, a 30 percent chance of rain and snow showers before 11 a.m., then a slight chance of rain showers between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a west wind of 5 to 15 mph.
The Monarch Pass weather forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, a high near 19, a 50 percent chance of scattered snow showers, mainly before 11 a.m., with accumulations of 1 to 2 inches possible and a west wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.
Winds are predicted to stay between 5 and 15 mph with clear skies and highs in the 50s for the rest of the week.