A semitrailer lies on its side along the southbound lanes of Interstate 25, just south of the Interquest Parkway exit Friday morning, after a storm with gusts up to 105 mph hit the Colorado Springs area.

While the high-speed winds that ripped through Colorado Springs on Thursday and Friday were reminiscent of the Dec. 15, 2021, windstorm that tore large trees in half and caused tens of thousands to lose power, residents were spared the same level of damage this time around.

The strongest wind gusts affected the state from the New Mexico to Wyoming border along Interstate 25, said Kyle Mozley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo. The highest wind speed of 105 mph was clocked at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station in southwest Colorado Springs, he said.

Although the worst of the wind came in the early morning hours Friday, wind gusts reaching 40-70 mph were likely over the Eastern Plains through sunset.

“Anywhere along the I-25 corridor has had high winds,” Mozley said. “It’s not just one specific area. That high wind is now moving out onto the plains.”

Almost one year ago, a devastating windstorm wreaked havoc throughout Colorado Springs, toppling semitrailers, tearing down centuries-old trees, and causing widespread power outages. Wind gusts reached 100 mph during

that storm, and more than 34,000 residents lost power.

In anticipation of an equally devastating windstorm, the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management alerted residents to prepare for blown-down trees and power lines. Crews with the Public Works and Forestry departments met at 6:30 a.m. Friday to “sharpen saws” and coordinate response plans, said city forester Dennis Will.

“But it’s really been a nonstory for us,” Will said. “There might be half a dozen to a dozen (calls for service) on the southwest edge of town, but it’s really been nothing. We dodged a bullet, if you will.”

Will said most calls came from the Broadmoor area and Old Colorado City, and that other than two toppled trees that were quickly removed, debris has mostly come in the form of small branches.