Live Weather Blog: Tornado warnings, flood watches, and severe storms across Southern Colorado

Severe weather continues to build up across southern Colorado. Below are a few key weather issues you need to know about.

Road Closures

The Colorado Springs Fire Department is reporting a road closure along westbound Barnes Rd at the intersection of Powers Blvd following after a car was stuck in standing water. News5 has a crew on the way to the scene.

View a live traffic map here.

Flooding

Flash Flood Warnings have been issued across southern Colorado for areas of Pueblo County and northern El Paso County. The Flash Flood Warning for Pueblo County has been bumped to a Flash Flood Emergency and is set to expire at 10:45 p.m. while the warning issued for areas in northern El Paso County expired at 8:00 p.m.

Flash Flood Warnings are in effect across the News5 viewing area from El Paso County through southern Colorado. These flash flood warnings are expected to expire around 10:00 p.m.

Severe Thunderstorms

Storms are popping up across southern Colorado, a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Timpas, CO south of La Junta, and will expire at 5: 30 p.m.

El Paso County and Pueblo County have had a severe thunderstorm warning issued until 5:45 p.m.

Tornado Warnings

A tornado warning was issued for Bent and Prowers Counties until 8:15 p.m. Friday evening.

A tornado warning has also been issued for Pritchett and Springfield Colorado set to expire at 8:30 p.m. Friday evening.

Today’s Forecast:
So far, so good, with a really nice start to our Friday morning in Southern Colorado. Storms will initiate across the mountains, and along and north of the Palmer Divide after the lunch hour before spreading southeast into the rest of the state. After 3-4 pm, widespread, heavy rain will be possible throughout the region. Flood Watches have been issued for El Paso and Pueblo counties, and will remain in effect from noon until midnight.

KOAA weather

Along and east of I-25, there will also be a severe threat today. Some storms will be capable of large hail and strong winds. Storms should wind in most areas between 8-10 pm.

Colorado Springs forecast: High: 68; Low: 48. A bright, blue morning will give way to another stormy, action-packed afternoon across the Pikes Peak Region. Storms will start to fire up between 2-4 pm, with rain possible until late this evening. A Flood Watch will remain in effect for El Paso County from noon until midnight.

Pueblo forecast: High: 77; Low: 51. Sunshine this morning will give way to another active afternoon in Pueblo County, where a Flood Watch will remain in effect from noon until midnight. Storms should hold off until after 2 pm, with rain possible well into this evening.

Canon City forecast: High: 50; Low: 30. After a quiet morning, skies will turn unsettled by the afternoon as another round of showers and thunderstorms pushes back into Southern Colorado. Stronger storms will be capable of heavy rainfall, small hail and gusty winds.

Woodland Park forecast: High: 50; Low: 20. We're expecting another stormy day as we look towards Friday afternoon with a fair amount of rain and thunderstorms in our forecast, with showers expected to taper off around sunset.

Tri-Lakes forecast: High: 60s; Low: 40s. Unseasonably cool today for northern El Paso County, but this cool for mid-June weather won't be the big story. Instead, it will be more rain and more thunderstorms, with a Flood Watch in effect from noon until midnight.

Plains forecast: High: 70s/80s; Low: 50s. The warmest weather today will be across the eastern Plains, due in large part to a much later arrival of storms compared to areas farther west. Storms on the eastern Plains will be strongest between 4-10 pm, with large hail, frequent lightning, gusty winds, and a few weak tornadoes our main threats.

Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: High: 70s; Low: 40s/50s. Compared to the rest of Southern Colorado, drier air along the southern I-25 corridor will keep our storm chances much lower than the rest of the region. That said, any storms that do form could turn strong or marginally severe.

Mountains forecast: High: 40s/50s; Low: 30s/40s. The great outdoors will be the stormy outdoors this afternoon, with another round of showers and thunderstorms expected across the mountains on Friday. Across the higher mountain summits, some snow and graupel will be possible from any stronger storms that pass by.

Extended outlook forecast:
We're not done with the rain yet as Saturday's forecast will remain stormy, with even a Slight Risk of severe weather Saturday afternoon across the eastern Plains. Large hail, frequent lighting and still some very heavy rainfall will be the main threats as storms could be quite intense Saturday afternoon from 1-6 pm.

After several weeks of near constant rain and thunderstorms, a drier shift in the weather pattern will begin on Sunday, with a sunny and warm Father's Day on tap for Southern Colorado.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.

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