Denver Weather: Near Record Heat Before Deluge Of Rain In Some Areas

DENVER (CBS4) - A large ridge of high pressure moving across the Rocky Mountain region on Friday will bring sunny skies, light winds, and warmer than normal temperatures statewide. The Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas will reach into the lower and middle 70s which is more than 10 degrees above normal for the middle of April.

Then even warmer weather will arrive on Saturday  with some locations in southeast Colorado coming close to 90 degrees while the Denver metro area soars to near 80 degrees. The record in Denver on Saturday is 83 degrees set on April 20, 1989. It seems unlikely we will tie the record but we should be close!

Big changes will arrive for the second half of the weekend as a storm system moves from California to Colorado. The storm could cause a few thunderstorms in the high country as early as Saturday afternoon but Denver and the Front Range will stay mainly dry through much of Sunday morning. There is a chance for drizzle or mist during Easter sunrise services on Sunday. But at this time it appears the vast majority of the rain coming on Easter will hold off until much later in the day.

Once the rain does arrive on Sunday, it could be heavy at times and weather models are suggesting some areas along the Front Range could see up to 1 inch of rainfall by early Monday morning.

Meanwhile the mountains and higher foothills will see snow by late Sunday and travel will likely be impacted along I-70 by Sunday evening.