Large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes are all possible across northeastern Colorado on Wednesday afternoon.
DENVER — For the first time this spring season, widespread severe weather is possible for Denver and the Front Range on Wednesday afternoon. Hail, strong winds and a few tornadoes are all possible.
A meandering area of low pressure will track near the Four Corners on Wednesday, allowing lots of moisture to reach eastern Colorado.
On top of that, lots of wind shear (wind shear is the change in wind speed and direction with height) will create the potential for supercell thunderstorms to develop.
At this time, it appears that large hail will be the main hazard for the Denver area on Wednesday, although winds exceeding 60 or even 70 mph could also threaten the metro area. The tornado threat appears, at this time, relatively low for the Denver area, though it could be a bit higher for areas east of the city.
Because we’re still two days away from this, exact timing and more specifics are difficult to assess.
But, if you have access to a garage or carport, Wednesday will undoubtedly be a good day to have your car under one. If you’re planning on planting your garden, you might want to hold off on doing so until the end of the week.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC), the governing body for severe weather forecasting, put Denver and much of northeastern Colorado under a so-called “Slight Risk” for severe storms on Wednesday. That’s significant because it’s relatively rare for the SPC to put Denver under such a risk category two days ahead of time.
The last time the SPC put Denver in a Slight Risk category or higher this far in advance was in late May 2018. That means there’s an added degree of confidence about Wednesday having the potential to produce widespread severe weather for eastern Colorado, including the Denver area.
That all said, beneficial moisture will also accompany Wednesday’s storms. As of Monday, only two-hundredths of an inch of rain had fallen at Denver International Airport, far below the month-to-date average of about an inch. Wednesday’s storms and Thursday’s cooler, steadier type of rainfall should bring some needed rain.
In the higher terrain, snow looks likely as well above 8,000 feet in elevation, with perhaps snow levels dropping to 7,000 feet by Thursday morning.
Stay with 9NEWS for the latest on Wednesday’s severe weather threat.
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