Today’s Forecast:
Hot weather comes back to southern Colorado today with strong to severe thunderstorms across the eastern plains. We’ll see quickly warming temperatures through the morning to numbers int he 80s and 90s by noon across the lower elevations. Storms will start in the Pikes Peak region and southern mountains around lunchtime and then spread east through the plains. The strongest storms will likely occur out east towards Baca, Kiowa and Cheyenne counties this afternoon will all rain ending fairly early this evening.
COLORADO SPRINGS: High – 85; Low – 53. Storms develop around and especially east of Colorado Springs near lunch and move east through El Paso County in the afternoon. Scattered showers will develop off and on through the afternoon with drying skies through the early evening. While some storms could be strong in or near Colorado Springs, the strongest storms and most likely to be severe are expected to be in far eastern and northeast El Paso County. Small hail is possible in Colorado Springs in the early afternoon.
PUEBLO: High – 93; Low – 56. Storms look to develop west of Pueblo in the afternoon and push east across town from the early afternoon through the early evening. The strongest storms will move through around 1:30 to 3 pm today with only light scattered showers behind the main wave of storms through the early evening. Small to moderate sized hail is possible
CANON CITY: High –88; Low – 56. Flooding in the Arkansas River near Canon City to Florence is possible today as snowmelt and mountain rains push the already full river just out of its banks. Storms look to develop around lunchtime in or near Canon City and push east away from town through the afternoon. Small hail is possible in any thunderstorms later today.
WOODLAND PARK: High – 75; Low – 46. Scattered thunderstorms will try and develop around lunchtime near Woodland Park and then push east across the plains through the afternoon. The best moisture is actually east away from Woodland Park so while there could be a few strong storms in the area, the worst storms are expected closer to El Paso County.
TRI-LAKES: High – 70s; Low – 40s. Storms are expected to start around lunchtime in the Tri-Lakes region and push east across the Palmer Divide and plains through the afternoon. Strong to severe storms are possible over the region, with heavy rain, lightning and small to moderate sized hail. Storms from 1 to 3 pm would likely be stronger than any storms through the end of the day and early evening.
PLAINS: High – 90s; Low – 50s. Strong to severe thunderstorms are likely across the plains this afternoon, especially for Lincoln, Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Baca counties. Storms will develop over the Palmer Divide and southern mountains and then push east across the plains through the mid-afternoon. Large hail, heavy rain, and strong winds are the main severe threats today with dry skies expected through the evening.
WALSENBURG/TRINIDAD: High – 80s; Low – 50s. Storms are expected to develop over the mountains and push east through the southern I-25 corridor around lunchtime and then through the afternoon. The best area for severe weather is well east across the plains, but a few large thunderstorms will small hail are possible from Walsenburg to Trinidad. As usual, burn scar flooding will be monitored for the Spring burn scar.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK:
Heavy rain and some strong to severe thunderstorms return Saturday, with heavy rains likely in and out of the forecast from Sunday to Monday. River flooding concerns will increase through the weekend, not only from snowmelt on Friday but also increased heavy rains from Saturday through Monday. Severe weather is possible from Saturday through Monday, but most likely for areas east of I-25 into the plains. Storm chances diminish by next Wednesday and Thursday.
