Denver weather: First Alert Weather Day for afternoon & evening storms

Afternoon and evening thunderstorms on Thursday will be capable of producing large hail, damaging winds, and even a tornado or two. Frequent lightning and heavy rain are also expected and the day has been declared a First Alert Weather Day.  

The Denver metro area is under an "enhanced risk" of severe weather. That is level 3 on a 5 level scale and is usually the highest threat of severe weather experienced in Colorado. The greatest threat will be south and east. Along the I-25 Corridor expect the storms between 3 and 8 pm and on the Eastern Plains between 4 and 10 pm. 

Meanwhile, we have a Red Flag warning from noon through 10 pm for the western half of the state. We could see wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour and humidity under 15 percent. If a fire were to start it has the potential to spread very quickly so avoid outdoor burning.   

Friday and Saturday we have the potential for strong to severe storms again in the afternoon and evening, but then on Sunday through early next week, we have a pattern change where we will see warmer and drier conditions.