Wind-driven cold front brings hard freeze to Lamar, Prowers County before weekend warmup
Lamar and the rest of Prowers County will feel the bite of a strong cold front Friday, with north winds gusting to 50 mph, a chance of late-day showers and a hard freeze overnight. The weather takes a sharp turn over the weekend as sunshine returns and highs climb into the 80s.
Friday brings partly sunny skies and a high near 60 degrees, with north winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. A 20 percent chance of showers is forecast after 4 p.m. Lows tonight are expected to drop to about 24 degrees under a Freeze Warning in effect from 10 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday. A Freeze Watch has also been issued for Saturday night into Sunday morning.
"Subfreezing temperatures are highly probable tonight," a meteorologist with the Pueblo forecast office wrote in Friday’s Area Forecast Discussion, adding that the warning was posted “due to the early growing season.”
No fire weather warning for Prowers County — but caution warranted
The National Weather Service in Pueblo issued Red Flag Warnings Friday for Baca and Las Animas counties and the San Luis Valley, where northwest winds will gust to 35 mph and relative humidity will fall as low as 12 percent. Prowers County, fire weather zone 236, is not included in the warning.
Even without a formal Red Flag Warning, the combination of dry vegetation, low humidity and wind gusts to 50 mph is enough to warrant care. Residents should avoid outdoor burning Friday, keep trailer chains from dragging on pavement and be alert to blowing dust along open stretches of U.S. 50 and U.S. 287.
Lamar, Colo. — Five-day forecast (April 17 – April 21, 2026)
Source: National Weather Service, Pueblo — Issued April 17, 2026
Period | Sky Conditions | High / Low | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Partly sunny; 20% showers after 4 p.m. | High 60°F | N 20–25 mph, gusts to 50 mph |
| Friday night | Mostly cloudy, then gradually clearing; 30% showers before 7 p.m. | Low 24°F | N 20–30 mph, shifting NW 10–20 mph after midnight; gusts to 45 mph |
| Saturday | Sunny | High 65°F | NW 10–15 mph |
| Saturday night | Mostly clear | Low 26°F | NW 5–10 mph, becoming SSE by evening |
| Sunday | Sunny | High 80°F | WSW 5–15 mph |
| Sunday night | Mostly clear | Low 36°F | SSW 5–10 mph |
| Monday | Mostly sunny | High 86°F | WSW 5–15 mph, becoming S in afternoon |
| Monday night | Mostly clear | Low 42°F | S around 15 mph |
| Tuesday | Sunny | High 89°F | W 5–10 mph, becoming E in afternoon |
| Tuesday night | Mostly clear | Low 47°F | Light and variable |
(Kiowa County Press)
Weekend warmup takes hold
Saturday will be sunny in Lamar with a high near 65 degrees and northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph. Skies stay mostly clear Saturday night, with the low falling to about 26 degrees — the second night of freeze concerns for gardeners and producers.
Sunday features full sunshine, a high near 80 degrees and lighter west-southwest winds of 5 to 15 mph. Overnight lows climb above freezing for the first time in the period, falling only to about 36 degrees.
Extended outlook: Monday and Tuesday
Warm, dry weather continues into next week. Lamar is forecast to reach about 86 degrees Monday and 89 degrees Tuesday under mostly sunny to sunny skies, with light winds turning south and east in the afternoons. Forecasters at the Pueblo office note that critical fire weather potential will be “renewed” as temperatures climb into the 80s and 90s on the plains. A Pacific storm system approaching later in the week could deliver “meaningful precipitation” to southern Colorado, though model uncertainty remains.
Drivers on U.S. 50 and U.S. 287 Friday should be ready for strong crosswinds and reduced visibility in blowing dust, particularly through open country east and north of Lamar.
