A short period of extreme winds occurred along the Colorado foothills with “winds nothing short of howling," according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
“We are in the midst of a truly historic windstorm across the front range, foothills and urban corridor,” the National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado, said earlier Thursday.“Exceptional mountain wave amplification,” referring to a major increase in windspeed as air flows over and down the mountains into the lower elevations in and around Boulder that can occur under very specific atmospheric conditions, was blamed for the hurricane-force wind gusts reported.
Widespread wind gusts of 80-100 mph were observed, the NWS said.
Combined with relative humidity below 20%, the extreme winds fueled the rapid fire spread, including into urban areas of Superior and Louisville.
By sunset, the winds should diminish even further, the NWS said.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLrNZ5qopV%2BqwHC4yK%2BcZqaVrMBwrs6uo52domKwsLjOq5idp12btrOxjK6nnZmkmsBufZFmamllYmZ8qrrDnq9noKSiuQ%3D%3D