Colorado weather: Thunderstorms, hail and strong winds expected this afternoon

The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for north-central Colorado for Saturday afternoon and evening, with thunderstorms carrying heavy rain, small hail, and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour expected in some areas. Counties covered under the advisory include Jackson, Grand, Summit, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Park, Larimer, Broomfield, Douglas, Denver, Arapahoe and Adams. As the storms move east, they will impact Weld, Elbert, Logan, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties. Severe thunderstorms aren’t expected, but can’t be ruled out in some isolated cases. Rain showers and moderate thunderstorms are expected in metro Denver after 3 p.m., although some could emerge earlier in the afternoon, according to the forecast. Conditions at Denver International Airport will be partly sunny with a high near 79 degrees. A northwest wind at 6 to 11 miles per hour will shift east to southeast in the afternoon, with gusts reaching as high as 18 miles per hour. The chance of rain is expected to reach 60%. Related Articles Tennis-ball-sized hail, 70 mph winds expected amid severe thunderstorm watch in eastern Colorado What to do when Colorado wildfire evacuations are ordered Wildfire smoke, ozone cause air quality alert for Front Range, Denver metro Colorado lawmakers hit a familiar wall — Big Tech’s influence — in effort to rewrite AI regulations Colorado wildfires: Lee fire downgraded back to fifth-largest in state history Similar conditions will continue into the evening and night, with slightly higher wind gusts forecast. The low is expected to be 51 degrees. A chance of showers continues into Sunday morning as an upper-level low-pressure system passes through. The rest of the day is expected to be sunny and mild with a high of 74 degrees. Quieter weather is forecast for early next week.