Colorado
Biden administration has a plan to save the Colorado River System
PHOENIX — The Biden administration will invest hundreds of millions of dollars to conserve the Colorado River Basin System, according to a federal report released on Tuesday.
The new report, Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement — or SEIS — outlined plans to avoid dangerously low reservoir levels.
“We’ve announced more than $500 million in new investments,” according to Michael Brain, the principal deputy assistant secretary for water and science for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The investments are part of the Colorado River Basin System conversation agreements with more than 20 water entities in California and Arizona, Brain said.
However, the $500 million investment is a fraction of the total amount of money the Biden administration has spent on water sustainability in the region.
Overall, the federal government has invested $15.4 billion to bolster the area’s resistance to drought over the past two years.
It’s all part of the administration’s Investing in America plan, Brain said.
How the Biden administration plans to save the Colorado River System
Camille Calimlim Touton, a federal reclamation commissioner, gave reporters more details about the report during a Tuesday press call.
“The past two decades have culminated in critically low reservoir conditions in the Colorado River Basin and across the West,” Touton said.
She added that the prolonged drought strains communities, businesses and habitats.
“The Biden-Harris administration has staved off the immediate possibility of the Colorado River System’s reservoir falling to critically low elevations,” Touton said.
The Biden administration’s investments will help conserve three million acre-feet of water through the end of 2026, officials said.
This includes three new agreements with water entities in California to conserve nearly 400,000 acre-feet of water.
BOULDER, Colo. (KKTV) – Several Colorado highways are closed due to high winds reaching up to 80 MPH in some locations.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the closures currently in place include:
- CO 93 both directions from 64th Ave (Arvada) to CO 170.
- CO 72, both directions from CO 7 to Ward Road.
- US 36, both directions from Boulder to Lyons.
- CO 128, both directions from CO 93 to McCaslin Boulevard.
Transportation officials said the winds may also cause traffic signal outages.
If traffic lights are experiencing a power outage, CDOT said drivers must treat it as a four-way stop:
- Come to a complete stop at the stop line or before entering the intersection.
- Vehicles proceed one at a time, in the order they arrived.
- If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the right goes first.
- Always yield to pedestrians and cyclists already in the crosswalk.
- Make eye contact when possible and proceed cautiously – do not assume others will stop.
Drivers are also encouraged to reduce speeds, keep both hands firmly on the steering wheel, and be alert for debris, downed signs and sudden gusts. High-profile vehicles, such as trucks, vans and vehicles towing trailers, are encouraged to avoid travel when closures or restrictions are in place.
CDOT also reminds commercial drivers to ensure tire chains are properly secured and not dragging, which can create sparks and increase wildfire risk during dry, windy conditions.
Copyright 2025 KKTV. All rights reserved.
Colorado
Dangerous fire situation looming for parts of Colorado’s Front Range, as another day of strong winds lies ahead
Dangerous weather conditions in Colorado are expected to team up for a surge in the Front Range fire danger. For most of the day Friday conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark. Friday will be a First Alert Weather Day.
The triple threat of hurricane force winds, record heat and single digit relative humidity will all be in force from 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday. That is when a red flag warning for high fire danger is issued.
For the first time in Colorado, the National Weather Service office in Boulder has issued an extra warning know as “A Particularly Dangerous Situation” for northwest Jefferson and western Boulder counties for possible wind gusts of 85 to 105 mph.
The worst areas will be from Highway 93 up into the higher foothills. That, combined with single digit relative humidity, will make conditions worse that what the state experienced on Wednesday.
For the northern Front Range, the strongest winds will be west of I-25 into the foothills. Along and east of the I-25 corridor including the Denver metro area, winds may gust up to 40 mph with humidity levels as low as 8%. For that reason, the entire Denver metro area is in the warning area.
The strong winds will be warming downslope winds for eastern Colorado with highs on Friday shooting up into the 60s and 70s. Denver may have a new record high of 70 degrees. The old record is 67 degrees last set in 2023.
Top wind gusts may likely be stronger than Wednesday. Those gusts were hurricane force in some areas of the foothills and mountains with gusty winds comparable to those of a category 2 or 3 hurricane.
DENVER (KDVR) — Strong wind gusts at the speed of a Category 3 hurricane swept through two Colorado counties on Wednesday.
Strong winds blew through the state on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands without power, causing safety road closures and recording wind gusts reaching over 100 mph. In some areas, winds were even higher, with Summit and Grand counties seeing 124 mph wind gusts.
At 9 p.m. on Wednesday, one weather station on top of Breckenridge Peak 6 picked up a wind gust of 124 mph in Summit County. Then, at 9:52 p.m., another weather station at Parsenn Bowl Summit in Grand County picked up a wind gust of 124 mph, according to National Weather Service records.
These two wind gusts weren’t only the strongest gusts on Wednesday, they were so strong that they were comparable to the strength of a devastating hurricane.
The Pinpoint Weather team said it was the strength of a high-end Category 3 hurricane. These winds also compare to a high-end EF2 tornado, which could damage one or two family residences, according to NWS.
These weren’t the only areas that saw high winds. Several counties across Colorado saw winds higher than 100 mph throughout Wednesday.
The Pinpoint Weather team expects the wind to continue into Friday with continued fire danger. The winds are expected to slow down throughout the weekend.
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