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 through the Midwest Thursday and 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 from Thursday night to Friday night.
At one point on 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 a few hundred thousand as of Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.US. A gust of 102 mph was measured at Berthoud Pass, Colorado, on Wednesday night, before the instrument stopped recording.
As the storm moves east, high winds with frequent gusts ranging between 50 and 70 mph will sweep across the Plains states from North Dakota to Iowa and Kansas on Thursday. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ in this zone is 105 mph. Hurricane-force winds are 74 mph or greater.
Winds will also increase over the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region, with frequent gusts between 40 and 50 mph, through Thursday night.
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.
As high winds combine with snow over portions of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest, local ground blizzard conditions will occasionally create whiteouts.
From Thursday to Friday evening, blustery conditions will shift eastward to the Midwest and then the Northeast.
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 from Thursday night into 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 remain elevated across eastern Colorado and New Mexico, where these strong wind gusts combine with dry brush and low humidity.
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