The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) reopened Interstate 70 between Aurora and the Kansas state boarder Friday afternoon after shutting it down earlier because of a fatal accident and extreme wind gusts earlier in the day.

The National Weather Service (NWS) allowed the high wind warning expire throughout the eastern portion of the state at 5 p.m. and expect the gusts to stay fairly calm overnight, said Russell Danielson, a NWS Boulder meteorologist.

Beginning Friday morning, wind gusts as high as 70 mph were recorded across the Eastern Plains that sent debris and dust into the air and made conditions “almost impossible to see anything,” said Gary Cutler with CSP Friday morning.

One person was killed and at least 15 others were injured and transported to a medical facility, following a 10 vehicle accident near Hugo shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, said Ivan Alvarado, a spokesperson for CSP.

The person who was killed was one of four passengers in a 2019 Volkswagen SUV, but it was not known whether they were a driver or passenger, Alvarado said.

Information about the victim will be released at a later date.

Tomorrow morning, winds in the Eastern Plains are expected to pick up but Danielson does not expect debris and dust or a high wind warning to be issued, he said.