Thunderstorms moving over Colorado's mountains will intensify once they reach the southeast plains, bringing a risk for large hail, damaging winds and possible isolated tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
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Over the mountains, residents can expect gusts up to 50 mph, lightning and brief light rain between noon and 7 p.m. As the storm progresses east, it will bring strong winds and hail up to 1 inch in diameter along the Interstate 25 corridor. By the time it reaches farther east onto the plains, gusts will reach up to 75 mph, hail may be 2 inches in diameter, and isolated tornadoes are possible, according to the NWS.
The storms will reach their strongest points in southeast Colorado — especially eastern El Paso County — between 1 and 8 p.m., NWS said. The greatest risk for tornadoes is Kiowa County and northern Prowers County.
Around 1 p.m., severe weather warnings and watches were starting to pop up along the eastern plains. Click here for a full list of weather alerts.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas until 8 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/f9oXeSUu15
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) June 9, 2022
After this system moves out of the state, conditions will dry out and warm up. Triple-digit heat is possible across the eastern plains over the weekend, which will lead to an increase in critical fire weather.
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