Tonight's Forecast:
It's been a hot day across Southern Colorado, with some areas on the Plains soaring into the lower triple digits. Thanks to some cloud cover and pop up showers this evening, we are seeing relief in some areas. High based showers and thunderstorms will have to combat much drier air at the surface, but those that survive will be capable of producing a brief shower, lightning and gusty winds. Showers will be very hit or miss in nature, with wind from surrounding showers expected to be much more of an impact that rain tonight.
Overnight lows will be mild for this time of the year, only cooling down to the upper 50s and 60s on the Plains.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 59; High: 84; A cold front Wednesday morning will allow for a nice 8-10 degrees of cooling tomorrow. As the upslope flow develops behind the front, numerous showers and thunderstorms will develop by the afternoon, with severe storms possible across the Pikes Peak Region.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 63; High: 90; Hazy skies early will give way to more numerous showers and storms across Pueblo County. Thunderstorms on Wednesday will be capable of heavy downpours, frequent lightning, large hail and strong wind gusts.
Canon City forecast: Low: 62; High: 88; Modest cooling and increasing showers can be expected on Wednesday, with stronger storms capable of heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, damaging wind gusts and large hail.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 51; High: 77; The Storm Prediction Center based out of Norman, Oklahoma has placed Teller County under a Slight Risk of severe weather on Wednesday. Storms that form in the area will be capable of wind gusts to 60 mph and hail up to 1.5" in diameter.
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: 50s; High: 70s/80s; A strong cold front will come barreling across the Palmer Divide by around sunrise Wednesday morning. Moisture that fills in behind the front will help to initiate a stormy and wet afternoon, with some storms capable of severe hail and strong wind gusts.
Plains forecast: Low: 60s; High: 80s/90s; After sizzling heat on Tuesday, Wednesday's highs will be around 10 degrees cooler as our forecast turns much wetter across the Plains. Late afternoon and nighttime thunderstorms will be fueled by Gulf moisture, capable of heavy rain, strong wind gusts and large hail.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 50s/60s; High: 80s; Increasing Gulf moisture combined with a strong cold front during the day on Wednesday will lead to a wet afternoon and evening, with scattered showers and thunderstorms across the area.
Mountains forecast: Low: 40s; High: 60s/70s; Mild and stormy on Wednesday as a strong surge of moisture will allow for numerous showers and storms across the high country. A few storms may even reach severe criteria over the Wets and Sangres, capable of heavy rainfall, hail to 1", and wind gusts to 60 mph.
Extended outlook forecast:
Rain could linger well past midnight on the eastern Plains, with drying skies into Thursday morning. It won't be long for storms to fire off on Thursday, but with less instability than Wednesday, I'm not as concerned about severe weather threats. Storms could still be good rain producers, and a risk of localized flooding will be possible Thursday region-wide. Thursday's highs will also be the coolest of the week, topping out in the 70s and 80s on the Plains.
Showers will become less widespread by Friday as afternoon storms look to stick mainly to the higher terrain. This will allow for a boost in temperatures, with highs returning to the 80s and 90s on the Plains. Near to slightly above average highs will continue into the weekend, with increasing rain chances each afternoon due to a richer plume of sub-tropical moisture over the state.
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