(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — The storm system that we’ve been monitoring for several days now has finally made its way into Southern Colorado.

With its arrival, there are multiple impacts that it will likely bring to the area:

High fire danger

High wind concerns

Winter weather for select areas

A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a majority of southeast Colorado. Dry air in place, windy conditions, and very warm temperatures will all add to the elevated concern.

On Wednesday morning, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office posted about its Red Flag Warning and told the county to refrain from all burning. Portions of El Paso County will see this elevated risk but conditions don’t quite meet the threshold for a Red Flag Warning.

The FOX21 Storm Team is also watching for some winter weather to move through far northwestern parts of the viewing area – specifically the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges. Several inches of snow will be possible for these areas with elevations above 10,000 feet having the best chance to see some accumulations.

As far as the rest of the viewing area goes, the wind will also be a big concern on Wednesday as the system moves through Southern Colorado. Above is an image of the Pikes Peak region which may experience some of the fastest wind gusts. Models are hinting at 50+ mph for portions of the lower elevations – the higher terrain may even see gusts closer to 60 mph.

Along with the multiple impacts expected, there’s also a big drop in temperatures to mention. For the last several days now Southern Colorado has largely been about 10 to 15 degrees above average for this time.

Big temperature drop on the way!

With the system passing through Wednesday and Thursday, a strong cold front will drop through the area bringing a 15 to 20-degree temperature drop for some if not all on Thursday.

Several days ago there were whispers of the possibility of this system bringing the first few snowflakes of the year here in Colorado Springs. That is still certainly a possibility, but models have drastically backed off of that solution. If the lower elevations were to see any snow, it would just be a brief rain/snow mix along the Palmer Divide early Thursday morning.