Colorado Weather: Severe Thunderstorms Possible This Weekend
DENVER (CBS4) - Severe weather season in Colorado usually ramps up by the end of May and many parts of the state will be under the threat for severe storms at some point through this weekend.
For Denver and the Front Range, the primary threat will be during the afternoon and early evening on Saturday. For the Eastern Plains, the chance for thunderstorms causing large hail, damaging wind, and weak tornados will start late Friday.
The metro area will be mostly cloudy, warm, and quite windy at times (gusts to 45 mph!) on Friday but it should also stay dry with less than a 10% chance for thunderstorms around Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins.
It's a different story on the Eastern Plains where thunderstorms are expected to develop mainly east of Fort Morgan, Limon, and La Junta Friday evening. As the storm move east toward Kansas and Nebraska, some area expected will be strong or severe.
The threat will then shift west onto the Front Range on Saturday afternoon. The chance for thunderstorms in the Denver metro area is only 30%, but if the storms manage to develop, some could be severe. The primary threat in the metro area will be hail up to 1 inch in diameter and wind up to 60 mph. Any threat for weak tornados should stay east of urban corridor on Saturday.
Then on Sunday, the threat for severe thunderstorms will move back onto the Eastern Plains with the primary concern about severe weather staying east of Limon and Fort Morgan. Meanwhile, Denver and the Front Range will be mostly sunny and dry on Sunday making it the better weather day this weekend.
In terms of the specific type of severe weather, large hail and damaging winds will be the primary threat through the weekend. Any tornados in Colorado should be weak, likely won't last long, and should be mostly limited to the far Eastern Plains. Any serious flooding should also be able to be avoided since the storms should be moving fast enough they won't drop large amounts of rain over a single area.
In terms of temperatures, Saturday and Sunday will be cooler than Friday but still above normal in most areas with highs in the mid and upper 70s for Denver and the Front Range.
