Today’s Forecast:
Happy 4th of July everyone! With a lot of folks planning to spend time outside today, the potential for rain and thunderstorms will need to be watched closely. Showers will begin to develop around the lunch hour in the mountains and near the Palmer Divide. Storms will move into the Plains this afternoon and evening, and severe weather will be possible. The main threats today will include large hail, frequent lightning and damaging wind gusts. The best threat today for severe weather will be along and north of Highway 50.
A cold front this evening will allow for showers to continue, even after sunset as many areas prepare for fireworks. Shower chances this evening will range between 30-50% in most areas, which means that they'll be fairly hit or miss in nature. Let's just hope that we can get all the shows in tonight!
Colorado Springs forecast: High: 88; Low: 56. Another very warm day for the Pikes Peak Region, with showers and storms possible anytime after 1 pm. Some storms could bring hail and high winds today, with showers also possible into the late night hours.
Pueblo forecast: High: 96; Low: 60. Scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon won't mean that you'll need to cancel your plans, but that you should be Weather Ready and prepared to act in case severe weather threatens. A few showers will also be possible late this evening.
Canon City forecast: High: 93; Low: 60. Hot and breezy, with scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout Fremont County, and a low end chance that some storms could reach severe criteria. A few isolated showers will remain possible late tonight and into early Wednesday morning.
Woodland Park forecast: High: 80; Low: 47. Dry skies this morning will give way to the potential for showers and thunderstorms anytime after the lunch hour. Showers and thunderstorms will remain possible through late tonight, with some rain possible during the fireworks.
Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 70s/80s; Low: 50s. A warm Fourth of July for the Tri-Lakes areas this year, with generally dry skies this morning. Storms could form as early as the lunch hour, with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible into this evening.
Plains forecast: High: 90s; Low: 50s/60s. Severe thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon and evening, with showers likely at times through late tonight. Keep an eye on the sky and be ready to react if/when severe weather threatens your area.
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 80s/90s; Low: 50s/60s. Storms will be a little more isolated for the southern I-25 corridor today versus areas north of Highway 50. That said, one of two thunderstorms could turn severe this area.
Mountains forecast: High: 70s; Low: 40s. Keep an eye on the sky in the high country as showers and thunderstorms will pop up around the lunch hour. Occasional storms will remain a possibility in our forecast through late tonight, with today's storm capable of hail, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall.
Extended outlook forecast:
Behind tonight's cold front will come a pretty significant cool down, with temperatures about 15-20 degrees cooler on Wednesday. It will also be an unsettled one for Southern Colorado, with another round of strong to severe thunderstorms possible...if we can get enough sunshine to cook hose storms. Scattered thunderstorms will remain in the forecast both Thursday and Friday, with the severe threat pushing a little farther east each day.
Drier air is expected this weekend as highs look to return to near average to slightly above average Any storms by the weekend should stay confined to the higher terrain, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies for the Plains.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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