Chicago may be known as the Windy City, but it’s got nothing on the plains of Colorado and Kansas.
Throughout this area Jan. 13-15 winds in excess of 65 miles per hour were prevalent, and not just for a single day. For the first time as long as anyone can remember, the high winds were around in full extent for Thursday and Friday, with some areas also getting impacted on Wednesday.
In fact, officials at the National Weather Service branch in Goodland, Kansas couldn’t recall the last time a series of days featured such strong winds.
The Burlington Airport reported a top gust of 67 miles per hour, noted General Forecaster/Meteorologist Matthew Chyba with the NWS. He added that was the also the top gust in Kit Carson County – but not the biggest reported wind strength.
That belonged to Colby, Kansas, which Chyba said was believed to have reached 77 mph, though that was still being verified at press time.
Goodland topped out at 72, which ranks 10th all-time among strongest winds ever reported to their NWS.
Other area wind gusts included 69 at Yuma, 67 at Saint Francis, Kansas and 66 in Cheyenne County, Colorado.
The high winds blowing dust limited visibility, forcing a shutdown of part of Interstate 70 in both directions from about 11 a.m. to around 3:20 p.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
According to Colorado State Police Corporal Bert Kirby, due to brownout conditions caused by blowing dust, two large pileup crashes with serious injuries occurred on I-70 near milepost 379, approximately 16 miles west of Flagler.
Windy conditions and dust storms also contributed to vehicle crashes and one fatality on the highway, according to the State Patrol. The fatal crash happened near Hugo in Lincoln County. At least 15 injuries were reported.
Visibility was less than a one-fourth of a mile in some areas.
High winds over the Eastern Plains on Friday also increased “critical fire danger,” the weather service said.
The NWS confirmed that the town of Benkelman, Neb. was evacuated because of a fire that appeared to be headed straight for the town before veering off in another direction.
