Wind gusts from Monday night and Tuesday morning resulted in many rural residents in northern Colorado counties losing power, while others had their driveways and nearby highways blocked by downed trees.

Exactly a month after extreme winds whipped through Colorado, powerful gusts are back and blasting the state once again. Why it matters: High winds worsen wildfire danger, kick up dust that can be hazardous for people with health problems,

In a rare wind event for the Palmer Divide Monday, winds approached 80 mph in parts of Douglas County, and 60 mph in Castle Rock.

The National Weather Service has warned of strong wind gusts of 60 to 80mph, with some topping out at 100mph in the Colorado Springs area.