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Weather Alert Day: Damaging hail and wind once again possible

Posted at 6:30 AM, Aug 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-07 08:30:07-04

Today’s Forecast:
The set up for storms today isn’t exactly like what we had Monday, but it’s similar enough for us to be worried about severe weather. Up slope flow will bring very moist air right up the mountains and mix with warm air to give the atmosphere lots of energy for afternoon thunderstorms. Super cell thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon, especially as storms cross out of the mountains into the I-25 corridor, where wind shear will be greatest. The main threats from thunderstorms today will be large hail up to 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter, which is the size of a tennis ball, and wind gusts reaching 60 to 70 mph. An isolated tornado east of I-25 and south of highway 50 cannot be ruled out late this afternoon and early this evening.

COLORADO SPRINGS: High – 78; Low – 55. Storms will start west of the city in the mountains and then cross east into and likely southeast through the city this afternoon, likely anytime after 1pm. Storms will have the ability to produce hail the size of tennis balls, flooding and winds gusting to 60 or more mph. Storms will be off and on through the early evening with lots of cloud to ground lightning expected.

PUEBLO: High – 86; Low – 61. Storms, some of which could easily become severe, are possible through Pueblo this afternoon into the evening, but most modeling has afternoon storms either north of south of the city of Pueblo. Regardless if storms are able to make it into Pueblo, they could pack large hail and strong winds. Flooding is possible in Pueblo if heavy enough rain moves through but the chances are on the lower end compared to Colorado Springs.

CANON CITY: High – 84; Low – 61. Canon City has the lowest chances of thunderstorms in the area today but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t see rain. Storms will spark in the mountains of the Pikes Peak area, and the winds could possibly steer a few of these storms through the city this afternoon. Storms could be severe with large hail and strong winds as the main threats. Keep in mind, most modeling has Canon City staying fairly dry.

WOODLAND PARK: High – 74; Low – 49. Storms will start in and around the mountains of Teller county and likely move either through or right by Woodland Park. Storms will likely grow quickly and could become severe with lots of lightning and the strong possibility for damaging hail and flooding. Storms will likely start around 12 to 1pm and then move east into Colorado Springs with storms off and on through the evening.

TRI-LAKES: High – 70s; Low – 50s. Strong to severe thunderstorms with lightning, hail and strong winds are all possible through the Tri-Lakes area later today and tonight. Storms look to be more numerous south through Colorado Springs, but the timing for storms to arrive is still anytime after 1pm. We’ll see scattered storms in the area off and on through the afternoon into the evening, lightning will probably be one of the biggest risks over this area.

PLAINS: High – 80s; Low – 60s. Rain and thunderstorms are possible this afternoon but especially tonight as storms cross out of the I-25 corridor and move east and southeast into the plains. The biggest threats from storms are large hail, strong winds, and even an isolated tornado mainly east of I-25 and south of highway 50. Flooding potential will be high for areas that saw heavy rain on Monday. Counties south of highway 50 have the greatest chance for heavy rain and storms well into the overnight hours, as long as everything can hold together.

WALSENBURG/TRINIDAD: High – 80s; Low – 50s. Storms will start west of the area in the Sangre De Cristos and the Wet Mountains and then push into the southern I-25 corridor. Severe, powerful storms are possible in this after later today with the timing looking to be anytime after 2 to 3pm. Large hail up to tennis ball in size, damaging winds and even an isolated tornado east of I-25 are all possible within these storms through the early evening hours. Storms will move east away from the area tonight and give eastern Las Animas a pounding from heavy rain.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK OR NEXT WEATHER MAKER:
Storms are once again possible Wednesday afternoon, and while there seems to be enough energy for severe weather, the wind profiles aren’t quite as good looking. We’ll probably issue a weather alert day on Wednesday just to be safe, but fewer severe storms are possible and the hail and wind threats look smaller compared to today. We are still expecting to dry out and warm up into the weekend.