Todays Forecast:Continued northwesterly jet stream energy brings mid-October temperatures to Southern Colorado on Thursday. The average temperature at the Colorado Springs Airport on October 15this 65 degrees, and that's how war m the downslope breeze is going to warm things up here today. Today's record high is 72, set in 1939, the average high is 45. No matter what measurement you go with, it's a warm day for mid-December. In Pueblo, our high today is expected to hit 70 for the first time this month.It will be breezy to gusty today, similar to Tuesday, with wind increasing through the morning. As usual in this set up, the gustiest wind will be west of I-25. By the end of the morning commute, we'll see some gusts in the 30+ mph range in the Pikes Peak Region. Some stronger gusts are possible in the Ute Pass and Palmer Divide areas into the early afternoon. High Wind Warnings are in place for the northern mountains through 11 AM - where wind gusts of 60-80 mph remain possible.Otherwise, you can expect periodic wave clouds today, creating partly cloudy skies. Wave clouds are extremely common in strong northwest flow - they occur when fast wind speeds intersect the mountains, especially when those winds are perpendicular to the mountains like they are now. The clouds are likely to thin in the afternoon, which correlates with a reduction in upper level wind speeds.If you're headed to the Electric Safari this evening at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - expect temperatures to remain in the low 50s to upper 40s, breezy early with decreasing winds through the evening.Colorado Springs forecast: High: 65; Low: 35. Much like what we saw on Tuesday, Thursday's forecast will be warm and gusty across the Pikes Peak Region. NW wind gusts around 20-30 mph will drive afternoon temperatures into the lower to middle 60s.Pueblo forecast: High: 70; Low: 30. Thursday's high of 70 degrees wlll be our warmest day of the month so far, but not quite warm enough to threaten today's record of 79 degrees, last set in 2004.Canon City forecast: High: 68; Low: 38. Warm and gusty on Thursday, with afternoon highs in the upper 60s and peak wind gusts of 30-35 mph.Woodland Park forecast: High: 53; Low: 29. Hold onto your hats, with more strong wind expected to spill into Teller County today from a stronger wind storm impacting northern parts of the state. Peak gusts in Woodland Park today will be around 40 mph.Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 60s; Low: 30s. Unseasonably warm weather will return to the Tri-Lakes area after a cool down on Wednesday, with today's highs climbing into the lower 60s.Plains forecast: High: 60s/70s; Low: 20s/30s. While some cooler spots will see highs in the 60s today, most areas on the Plains will see a big jump in temperatures from Wednesday as highs soar into the 70s this afternoon.Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 60s/70s; Low: 30s. Downslope wind gusts to 40 mph will bring unseasonably warm temperatures into the 60s and lower 70s on Thursday. That's around 20-25 degrees above average.Mountains forecast: High: 40s; Low: 20s. The wind will be the main story today in the mountains, with a High Wind Warning in effect for the northern and central mountain ranges until 11 am. Southern Colorado will see less wind, with peak gusts today up around 35-45 mph.Extended outlook forecast:This evening is a near carbon copy of conditions Tuesday night, with another backdoor cold front arriving late tonight. Lows drop to the 20s and 30s, and skies will turn mostly cloudy. Overnight lows in wind prone areas might not cool below the lower to middle 40s.Friday will bring conditions similar to Wednesday, with highs in the 50s and morning clouds giving way to afternoon sunshine. High pressure remains to the west, and the upper level winds remain northwesterly.The weekend will be quite mild and mostly sunny as the ridge of high pressure shifts east, bringing lower 60s to Colorado Springs on Saturday and upper 50s on Sunday, with another backdoor cold front arriving on Saturday evening.An upper level low is likely to travel south of Colorado on Monday, but a lack of moisture precludes it from doing anything. Northwest flow continues into the middle of next week, with more wind and warmth in the cards as a result. This is not a favorable pattern for snow in Colorado.____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. ...read more read less