Todays Forecast:It's a chilly morning - and you'll want to grab a jacket before you walk outside for the day with temperatures in the 20s and 30s, and wind chills in the 10s and 20s. But the big story today is, once again, warmt h, wind, and high fire danger.Highs today will reach the upper 60s and 70s on the Plains, fueled by a system crossing the northern Rockies, with the wind really beginning to increase by noon. The potential for damaging wind exists today across the northern Front Range. Slopes just east of these mountains could see gusts of 80-90 mph today. Gusts locally in Southern Colorado look to range between 30-50 mph, with the higher end gusts expected across the mountains and foothills.Colorado Springs forecast: High: 68; Low: 40. Increasing energy across the state will bring stronger wind gusts to the Pikes Peak Region on Thursday, warming our temperatures into the upper 60s this afternoon. The stronger wind gusts and low relative humidity that we're expecting today has triggered a Red Flag Warning, in effect from 11 am to 9 pm.Pueblo forecast: High: 74; Low: 38. Today will mark the start of a multi-day fire threat for Pueblo County, with a Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 am to 9 pm. Dry grasses, shrubs, and smaller bushes will be especially susceptible to fast-moving fires on a day like today.Canon City forecast: High: 72; Low: 40. After a brief, but noticeable cool down on Wednesday, another warm-up begins on Thursday as highs quickly rebound into the lower 70s. Today's warmer temperatures will be a direct result of strong and gusty downslope winds.Woodland Park forecast: High: 57; Low: 33. Although we won't see persistent Red Flag Warning conditions met this afternoon in Teller County, the wind will be strong and gusty. Peak wind gusts could top 50 mph in some areas.Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 60s; Low: 30s/40s. Windy and warmer weather can be expected on Thursday across El Paso County, with a Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 am to 9 pm for regions along and east of the I-25 corridor.Plains forecast: High: 70s; Low: 30s/40s. After a couple of days without any Red Flag Warnings, high fire danger will return across the Plains on Thursday, in effect from 11 am to 9 pm. Peak gusts on the Plains today could top 35 mph.Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 70s; Low: 30s/40s. A big change in the weather pattern on Thursday can be blamed on increasing downsloping winds. Today's gusts on the southern I-25 corridor will range between 40-50 mph, strongest in Huerfano County.Mountains forecast: High: 50s; Low: 20s/30s. Increasing westerly wind across the high country on Thursday will bring peak gusts to 50 mph to mountain slopes. Mountain areas north of Buena Vista are under a High Wind Warning today, with peak gusts up above 80 mph along the Front Range foothills and mountains.Extended outlook forecast:We continue to track high fire danger on Friday, and Saturday. Friday's danger looks a bit lower than today with lower peak wind gusts, but slightly warmer highs.Saturday's fire threat is particularly concerning, with sustained winds of 25-35 mph possible in the afternoon across the Pikes Peak Region, gusting above 45 mph. At the same time, highs warm to the mid-70s...with our current forecast high of 75 tying the record for Saturday at COS, and single digit humidity. This will follow a prolonged dry and warm period that will have significantly dried out our fuels. These same conditions can be expected region-wide across Southern Colorado.On Sunday, a northerly cold front approaches associated with an area of low pressure. It brings the potential for snow. It will approach from the north early Sunday morning and increasing moisture combined with strong wind will lead to upslope flow, particularly into the Palmer Divide and portions of Teller County. Snow for now is not as likely south of Colorado Springs as it is for areas to the north.Upper-level winds aren't particularly favorable - and consequently overall snow amount look low. Currently in the 1" range in Colorado Springs, with the potential for a little more over the Palmer Divide itself. Although snow doesn't look impressive, it will be wind-driven, with gusts above 40 mph Sunday morning, and it will remain gusty in the afternoon. This means visibility impacts are possible for travel.Highs Sunday will be much cooler - only reaching the 40s in Colorado Springs. Fire danger will be much lower, though non-zero, because despite the minor snow, afternoon humidity levels still drop to the 20% range combined with the gusty wind.We remain cool Monday due to lingering post-frontal air.We begin to track an intense ridge of high pressure by Tuesday, building across the Desert Southwest. This ridge is likely to bring record challenging, to record-shattering heat to Colorado in the middle to end of next week. The peak intensity of this ridge is from Thursday to Friday. Significant snowpack melt is expected.____Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less