High winds shift east, return to Rockies into Friday
As winds capable of causing travel disruptions and sporadic power outages shift from the Midwest to the Northeast into Friday night, a new round of potentially damaging winds will roar from Montana to Colorado.
Dangerous winds gusting between 90 and 100 mph swept across Colorado and northern Utah on Dec. 17, downing trees and power lines, causing highway closures and prompting urgent safety messages from local authorities.
A storm responsible for producing winds well in excess of 100 mph over parts of the interior West will shift into the Northeast by Friday. While winds will be less intense in the northeastern United States, they can be disruptive. Meanwhile, a new storm will bring another round of high-powered, potentially damaging winds to the interior West through Friday night.
At one point Wednesday, nearly three-quarters of a million utility customers were without electricity from the Pacific Northwest to the northern portion of the Rockies. That number has shrunk to about 100,000 as of early Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.US. A gust of 102 mph was measured at Berthoud Pass, Colorado, Wednesday night before the instrument stopped recording. Gusts reached 98 mph at Buffalo, South Dakota.
As the storm moved east, high winds swept across the Plains states from North Dakota to Iowa and Kansas Thursday. In Meade County, South Dakota, a gust of 100 mph was recorded.
Winds will also increase over the Northeast Friday.
Where the ground is moist, trees may topple over. Where the landscape is dry, sparks from downed live power lines can ignite fast-moving wildfires. In an effort to reduce the risk of wildfires, some utility companies may shut off power temporarily.
Blustery conditions will continue to shift eastward from the Midwest to the Northeast Friday.
While winds will not be nearly as strong in these areas compared to the Plains and interior West, they can still be strong enough to cause sporadic power outages and airline delays in a highly concentrated major airport hub region.
Winds along the Atlantic coast will shift from the south to the west and northwest. When the stiff southerly winds are in action into early Friday, minor to moderate coastal flooding at times of high tide are likely.
The high winds will affect ski lift operations and may force shutdowns for a time.
New round of hurricane-force winds to roar through interior West
A new storm moving out of the Canadian Rockies through Friday will bring another round of powerful wind gusts from Montana to Colorado and northern New Mexico.
Gusts in this zone will frequently reach between 50 and 80 mph. The highest wind gusts (70-90 mph) will be confined to the mountainous areas and foothills to the west of Denver, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 110 mph.
These strong wind gusts are capable of causing property damage, hazardous driving conditions, vehicle rollovers and widespread power outages. Airline delays are likely, with possible flight cancellations, including at Denver. As in the Northeast, some ski lifts in the region may be forced to shut down.
In addition, the fire risk will be extreme just northeast of Denver, Colorado, due to very strong wind gusts, dry brush and low humidity.
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