Colorado
Bright & mild New Year's Day on tap for Southern Colorado
Today’s Forecast:
We’re looking at a gorgeous start to 2024 across Southern Colorado! Today’s nice weather will include mostly sunny skies, light winds and mild temperatures. Afternoon highs will top out in the 30s and 40s in the mountains and mountain valleys, with 40s and 50s for the Plains. Clouds will increase this evening as part of a weaker storm that will move south of Colorado on Tuesday.
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 51; Low: 25. After yesterday’s chilly high of 40 degrees, temperatures this afternoon will rebound nicely into the lower 50s in the Pikes Peak Region.
Pueblo forecast: High: 52; Low: 23. A cold Monday morning will give way to a much more pleasant day as highs this afternoon will top out in the lower 50s.
Canon City forecast: High: 55; Low: 30. If you’re going to be out and about early this morning, you’ll definitely want to grab a jacket and put on some warmer clothes. By the afternoon you can shed those layers as our afternoon highs will climb into the middle 50s.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 44; Low: 19. A bright and sunny start to 2024 in Teller County will give way to a mostly cloudy and cold night, setting the stage for a cooler day on Tuesday.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 40s/50s; Low: 20s. Although cold this morning, today’s dry airmass will give way to some efficient warming, with our high this afternoon warming into the upper 40s and lower 50s.
Plains forecast: High: 40s/50s; Low: 20s. A sunny and mild start to 2024 will give way to a cloudy and cooler day on Tuesday, with our forecast likely to stay dry over the next 24-48 hours.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 40s/50s; Low: 20s. A mild and dry start to 2024, with mostly sunny skies during the day and increasing clouds this evening over the southern I-25 corridor.
Mountains forecast: High: 30s/40s; Low: 10s/20s. A dry start to the week and the year for the mountains of southeastern Colorado. Clouds will increase tonight from a storm that passes well south of us on Tuesday.
Extended outlook forecast:
A weak storm moving to our south on Tuesday will bring us a cooler and cloudier day, with our high back down to the mid 40s in Colorado Springs. After a few degrees of warming on Wednesday, our late week forecast is now trending colder and snowier this morning. A storm system currently located more than 2,000 miles west of Colorado will move towards the southern Rockies late this week. Snow will be possible from Thursday afternoon into early Friday morning. Temperatures on Thursday and Friday will be below average, only warming into the 30s and 40s.
____
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.
A powerful search engine that organizes and provides access to vast information on the internet.
Colorado
Julian Lewis Says Deion Sanders’ Colorado ‘Wasn’t Really Looking at Defenses Much’ Last Season
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis made a stunning admission that could explain the team’s 3-9 finish to the 2025 season.
While speaking to ESPNU at Big 12 media days, Lewis was asked what the biggest difference was between last year and this year, and he revealed that the Deion Sanders-coached Buffaloes typically didn’t watch film during his first season with the team.
“My play, I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” Lewis said. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
Before taking a redshirt year, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman with two starts and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. He should fare even better this season with the benefit of film study.
Lewis will enter the 2026 campaign as Colorado’s starting quarterback, so he will have the opportunity to show his improvements when the Buffaloes open the year against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
State and federal agencies are starting to reopen public lands, state wildlife areas and a segment of the Colorado River that were closed in light of the Snyder Fire in Mesa County.
Stage 2 fire restrictions — banning all open fire or flames, including charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves — remain in effect as extreme fire danger, spurred on by hot and dry conditions, persists across the region.
The Snyder Fire started on Friday, June 26, when several smaller fires burning on the Colorado-Utah border combined. As of July 7, the fire was 98% contained after burning over 30,200 acres and killing three wildland firefighters.
With fire activity decreasing and containment increasing, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management shared their plans Tuesday to reopen lands impacted by the wildfire.
Parks and Wildlife said in a news release that it, alongside the Bureau of Land Management, had lifted the closure for public access and downstream recreation on the Colorado River, starting at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita and extending to the Utah state line. It also reopened the boat ramp at the Fruita section of the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita to downstream traffic.
The state agency’s Horsethief State Wildlife Area in Fruita and the Loma Boat Launch State Wildlife Area also reopened.
The BLM said in a news release that all lands within the perimeter of the Snyder Fire burn area remain closed to ensure public and firefighter safety.
“The burned landscape — including vegetation — remains dynamic and unpredictable as it naturally recovers from the fire impacts. This order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the order is rescinded,” the BLM said.
Both agencies also warned that fire danger remains extremely elevated and Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place.
A map of current federal and state fire restrictions is available on the Rocky Mountain Area Interagency Fire Restriction Dashboard or by visiting DFPC.Colorado.Gov/sections/wildfire-information-center. The Colorado Trails Explorer (or COTREX) app also has wildfire closure alerts.
Under current conditions, Parks and Wildlife advised the following actions to prevent sparking wildfires:
- Use established rings: Where permitted, only build campfires inside permanent metal fire rings in designated campgrounds.
- Clear nearby debris: Remove all dry grass, leaves and pine needles within a 10-foot radius of any flame.
- Drown and stir: Extinguish fires completely with water, stir the ashes, and ensure the debris is cold to the touch.
- Watch campfires constantly: Never leave a fire or portable stove unattended. If you see an unattended fire, call 911.
- Keep vehicles off brush: Avoid parking or idling cars on tall, dry grass where hot exhaust systems can ignite a fire.
- Secure towing equipment: Ensure trailer safety chains do not drag and spark against asphalt. Check them at every stop.
The BLM added that under its Stage 2 restrictions, smoking is prohibited except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Gas-powered stoves or grills with a shut-off valve are still allowed in cleared areas under this stage.
Violating Stage 2 fire restrictions by lighting a campfire is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Violators face an immediate citation, a mandatory court appearance, steep fines and potential jail time. Additionally, you can be held financially liable for all fire suppression costs and property damage if the campfire sparks a wildfire.
-
San Francisco, CA7 minutes agoWhat’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?
-
Dallas, TX12 minutes agoDallas millionaire files lawsuit against groundwater district
-
Miami, FL19 minutes ago7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
-
Boston, MA22 minutes ago‘They’re my buddies’: 96-year-old Back Bay woman befriends French soccer team
-
Denver, CO27 minutes agoDenver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
-
Seattle, WA34 minutes agoStudy finds dangerous chemicals in the breast milk of Seattle moms
-
San Diego, CA37 minutes agoTom Krasovic: Justin Verlander’s announcement recalls Padres’ 2004 draft blunder
-
Milwaukee, WI42 minutes ago‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence
