Tonight's Forecast:
Partly cloudy skies and relatively calm conditions are the name of the game tonight in southern Colorado. A weak boundary over the Front Range mountains is now shifting south. A few clouds, and some light and very spotty showers are possible in the mountains as the front moves away, with partly cloudy skies over I-25. Later in the evening, skies will clear out leading to lows in close to to slightly above seasonable averages with a warm push overnight and southerly winds setting the stage for a hot Friday.
Colorado Springs forecast: Low: 56; High: 93;
Partly cloudy in the Olympic City tonight with clearing skies early on Friday morning. Winds from the southeast at 10-15 mph early, turning south after midnight.
Pueblo forecast: Low: 59; High: 101;
Partly cloudy and comfortable with east winds at 10-15 mph. Tonight is a good night to get outside if you want to go for that walk/bike ride, because tomorrow is going to be very hot. The record high Friday in Pueblo is 101 degrees.
Canon City forecast: Low: 62; High: 96;
Partly cloudy with east winds at 10-15 mph shifting northwest after midnight. Generally comfortable "open window" weather - which is good...because tomorrow will be very hot, and stormy in the afternoon.
Woodland Park forecast: Low: 49; High: 84;
Partly cloudy early becoming mostly clear overnight with a weak shower chance through around 10:00PM this evening. South winds at 10-15 mph.
Tri-Lakes forecast: Low: 50s; High: 90s;
Partly cloudy and comfortable - in the 60s by 9:00PM, with mid to upper 50s on tap overnight under mostly clear skies. Very hot on Friday.
Plains forecast: Low: 60s; High: 90s/Low 100s;
Mostly clear early becoming partly cloudy overnight with a stray, weak, shower possible. Otherwise, nice...with lows in the mid 60s and southeast winds at 10-15 mph. Triple digit heat Friday for some cities. Pack the water bottle!
Walsenburg and Trinidad forecast: Low: 58/63; High: 93/92;
Mostly clear and comfortable with east winds at 10-15 mph shifting southwest after midnight.
Mountains forecast: Low: 50s; High: 80s;
Mostly clear tonight - note that a special avalanche advisory is in effect from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center for zones above treeline. Temperatures are well above average, leading to a wet avalanche risk during the afternoons. This is primarily something to know for high-altitude backcountry recreation - it will not impact driving. Other than that, southeast winds at 10-15 mph shifting southwest early on Friday.
Extended outlook forecast:
If you thought Wednesday was hot, Friday will sizzle. Remember to bring the water bottle and if outside, drink regularly. Remember the sunscreen, and pack the umbrella as well - during the afternoon, isolated thunderstorms will move across the area. Widespread severe concerns are unlikely but storms could contain gusty winds and frequent lightning. A cold front will move through on Friday night leading to cooler temperatures Saturday by around 10 degrees. An upper level wave will move over southern Colorado, which will spark off widespread thunderstorms. Isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible. Large hail, strong wind gusts, and frequent lightning are the main concern. For now, the Storm Prediction Center has the southern I-25 corridor in a marginal risk (1-out-of-5) for severe weather, but stay tuned. Based on the data I've been reviewing, I think Saturday will pose at least some risk for a severe thunderstorm along the southern I-25 corridor, and a higher risk over the eastern plains - where atmospheric parameters favor a small number of storms in an environment with plentiful instability and upper-level winds.
This active pattern continues through Monday. Both Sunday and Monday will be good drinks of water - with isolated shower chances in the morning and plenty of moisture in the afternoon. On the plus side - we need the rain. El Paso county is running between 30-40% of normal rainfall over the last 30 days. But it does mean your weekend is going to be wet as will Monday.
By next Tuesday, storm chances begin to decrease as high pressure moves northward again with temperatures rebounding to above average values.
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Curious about the First Alert 5 Weather Storm Impact Scale? Check out our cheatsheet explainer.
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