Near-record heat expected through Thursday; cold front to bring significant cooldown
Temperatures across Kiowa County are expected to approach 90 degrees Wednesday and Thursday before a cold front brings a significant cooldown Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. The stretch of well-above-normal warmth coincides with elevated fire weather conditions across much of southeastern Colorado, though Kiowa County is not included in the active warnings and watches issued for the region.
Forecasters at the NWS office in Pueblo said daily high temperature records are expected to be broken across the region on both days. The Pueblo area’s March 25 record of 81 degrees, set in 2004, and March 26 record of 84 degrees, set in 2022, are both forecast to fall. Similar records are expected to be challenged at Colorado Springs and Alamosa.
“Record-breaking max temps likely today, tomorrow and Thursday,” Stephen Hodanish, a senior meteorologist with the Pueblo forecast office, wrote in an afternoon Area Forecast Discussion. “Critical fire weather conditions [are expected] for parts of the area tomorrow and for most of the area Thursday.”
Wednesday: Sunny, Near 90
Wednesday will bring sunny skies and a high near 90 degrees to the Eads area, with west-northwest winds of 5 to 15 mph shifting to the east-southeast in the afternoon. Overnight will be mostly clear, with a low around 48 degrees and winds turning west after midnight.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect Wednesday for Fremont County and the San Luis Valley, where a combination of gusty west winds of 15 to 25 mph and relative humidity values as low as 7 percent are forecast. A Fire Weather Watch is also in place Wednesday afternoon for Teller County and the southern Front Range. Kiowa County is not included in either designation, though the NWS advises that residents across the region exercise caution with any outdoor burning given the dry and warm conditions.
Thursday: Warm Morning, Frontal Passage by Afternoon
Thursday will start warm, with temperatures again expected to reach near 89 degrees under sunny skies. A cold front is forecast to push through the area during the early-to-mid-afternoon hours, bringing a wind shift and rapidly changing conditions. Hodanish noted that the front is expected to arrive later in the afternoon than some earlier model runs had suggested, meaning peak heating and the prefrontal wind event will largely overlap.
Fire Weather Watches are in effect Thursday for a large portion of the NWS Pueblo forecast area, covering counties from the upper Arkansas River Valley south through Baca County. Kiowa County again falls outside the watch area. However, Hodanish cautioned that the midday wind shift associated with the frontal passage could pose challenges for any active burning. “There will likely be a sharp wind shift during the middle of the day, and this may hamper fire fighting efforts regarding any current burns that are ongoing,” he wrote.
Temperatures will fall to around 33 degrees Thursday night as the frontal passage takes effect. Northeast winds of 25 to 30 mph are expected, with gusts reaching up to 40 mph through the overnight hours.
Friday: Cooler, Partly Sunny
Friday will bring noticeably cooler conditions, with a high near 56 degrees under partly sunny skies — more than 30 degrees below Thursday’s forecast high. North-northeast winds of around 15 mph are expected during the day. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with a low near 32 degrees and breezy southeast winds of 15 to 20 mph.
Eads, Colo. — Five-Day Forecast (Wed. Mar 25 – Sun. Mar 29, 2026)
Source: National Weather Service, Pueblo CO — Issued Mar 24, 2026
Period | Sky Conditions | High / Low | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed. Mar 25 | Sunny | High 90°F | WNW 5–15 mph, shifting ESE afternoon |
| Wed. Night | Mostly Clear | Low 48°F | SSE 10–15 mph, becoming W overnight |
| Thu. Mar 26 | Sunny | High 89°F | W 10–20 mph, shifting NE 20–30 mph aftn. |
| Thu. Night | Partly Cloudy | Low 33°F | NE 25–30 mph, gusts to 40 mph |
| Fri. Mar 27 | Partly Sunny | High 56°F | NNE ~15 mph, shifting SE afternoon |
| Fri. Night | Partly Cloudy | Low 32°F | SE 15–20 mph, breezy |
| Sat. Mar 28 | Mostly Sunny | High 77°F | S ~20 mph, gusts to 30 mph |
| Sat. Night | Mostly Cloudy | Low 40°F | SE 10–15 mph |
| Sun. Mar 29 | Mostly Sunny | High 86°F | W 10–15 mph |
(Kiowa County Press)
Weekend and Beyond: Warming Returns, Precipitation Possible Next Week
Temperatures will recover through the weekend. Saturday looks mostly sunny and breezy, with a high near 77 degrees and south winds gusting to 30 mph. Sunday is forecast to reach near 86 degrees under mostly sunny skies, still well above normal for late March.
Looking further ahead, the NWS said moisture is expected to increase early next week as a series of disturbances move through the region along a subtropical jet stream. Mountain precipitation is expected to become more likely beginning Sunday and continuing through midweek. The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-normal precipitation chances for the broader region during that period, and temperatures are expected to trend gradually downward heading into the following week.
Residents are encouraged to avoid outdoor burning through at least Thursday given the warm, dry and at times windy conditions across the area. The latest forecasts and any active fire weather products are available at weather.gov.
