A tornado watch is in effect for much of the Denver area and the northeastern corner of the state as severe weather — including large hail — moves across the Front Range on Tuesday.
The watch, issued by the National Weather Service in Boulder at 12:40 p.m., is in place for Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Weld counties. It is in effect until 8 p.m.
Brisk winds, large hail, thunder and rain began moving into Denver and the surrounding suburbs at about 2 p.m. Some were reporting golf ball-sized hail.
The weather service was issuing sporadic severe thunderstorm warnings as severe weather began popping up around the city. Spotters reported dime-sized hail by the University of Denver.
There is a chance for tornadoes on the Eastern Plains, said Eric Thaler, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder.
“The heavy-duty stuff is a possibility, mostly on the plains, northeast between Greeley and Limon,” Thaler said. “Possibly a tornado.”
Overnight, a severe storm struck Washington County in northeast Colorado, dropping half-dollar-size hail at 1:40 a.m. It was unusual, Thaler said.
Scattered pockets of severe weather will strike mainly from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to the weather service.
There is a 30 percent chance for measurable amounts of rain in the Denver area in the afternoon. There is a 50 percent chance of rain in Fort Collins, Thaler said.
Wind gusts from the northeast could reach 24 mph in the afternoon. The high temperature on Tuesday could be 71 degrees.
On Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 73 degrees, according to the weather service. It will be breezy in the afternoon, but no rain is projected.
Afternoon rain thunderstorms are part of the weather forecast for the rest of the week.
Temperatures are expected to drop to 67 degrees on Thursday and 63 on Friday, before a Memorial Day weekend warm-up in which temperatures will rise back into the 70s.
There is a slight chance for rain showers and thunderstorms each afternoon from Saturday to Monday.
