Scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms out of the south will rumble through northeastern Colorado on Saturday and the Eastern Plains face possible severe weather, including hail, strong winds and a threat of an isolated tornado.
“Some of these storms may be severe across the plains,” according to the National Weather Service in Boulder. “Large hail and damaging winds are the primary threats, though an isolated tornado is also possible.”
At 12:15 p.m. Saturday the weather service issued a tornado watch for northeastern Colorado, including along parts of the Front Range and the Denver-metro area. The watch is posted through 8 p.m.
At 1:45 p.m., the weather service issued a tornado warning for eastern Morgan County. People in the area were advised to take shelter.
At 2:30 p.m., at tornado warning was issued including the towns of Bennett and Strasburg, in eastern Adams and Arapahoe counties.
Tornado Watch issued until 8 pm. Forecast update with large hail of 2 inches and severe winds of 60 mph or greater is also possible with these storms. Have a way to receive warnings and be prepared to take shelter. HAVE A PLAN!
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
Colorado Storm Chasers, @COStormChasers, reported a tornado north of Last Chance, in Washington County, in a 1:30 p.m. Twitter post.
North of Last Chance.
— Colorado Storm Chasers (@COStormChasers)
The weather service in Boulder said it received multiple reports of two tornadoes touching down, one in Washington County and the other in Morgan County. The tornadoes were reported between 1:30 and 2 p.m. There were no immediate reports of damage.
At 2:21 p.m. Denver International Airport imposed a “ground stop due to thunderstorms in the area.” The airport said, on Twitter, that travelers should expect delays through the afternoon.
At 3:30 p.m. a thunderstorm warning was issued for southwest Weld County.
In Denver, there’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms, the weather service said. Some Denver-area storms may be severe, with large hail and strong winds. The high temperature in the city on Saturday will top out near 75 degrees.
Scattered storms and showers will continue in northeastern Colorado into the night.
On Sunday in Denver, skies will be sunny and the high temperature will hit about 76 degrees. Winds will gust to about 37 mph, the weather service said.
Severe thunderstorms, with southerly winds up to 45 mph, will hit the Eastern Plains again on Sunday afternoon, roughly along and east of a line from Sterling to Akron, according to the weather service. Mostly dry conditions will prevail along the Interstate 25 corridor and into the mountains.
On Monday in Denver skies will be sunny and the high temperature will be about 78 degrees, the weather service said. Monday through early Wednesday, Denver-area weather will be drier with near normal temperatures. A chance of afternoon and evening storms return Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, with cooler weather on Thursday.
