Forecast for the end of the week: hot today, much more active with storm chances Thu-Sat

07/09/25 8:15am: Morning, we have some weather to talk about. One more really hot day before the weather pattern becomes active again from late tonight through Saturday. Models show a series of short-waves combined with a cold-front that will move down the front-range on Friday morning. These factors will bring much better storm chances across the state on Thu, Fri and Sat. Here are some main points.

• Hot today: For Den/Bou and the front-range a heat advisories from 10am-9pm for high temps near 100 degs, with very little chance for storms

• A few isolated, high based storms expected over western CO after 4pm today (won't be much)

• The short-wave pushes into northwest CO and parts of the mountains late tonight into tomorrow morning.

• For the north-central mountains high-res models show a chance for some rain showers / weak thunderstorms early tomorrow between 2am-8am initially. Then another chance for storms from 12pm-6pm tomorrow but the focus during the day Thu will be along/east of the Cont. Divide (Front Range mountains will be favored, less west of Summit)

• For Den/Bou and the front-range maybe a few weak rain showers between 5am-11am initially (likely won't be much). Then a better chance for scattered storm tomorrow afternon between 12pm-8pm.

• Best chances for strong storms tomorrow will be near/along the Palmer Divide and along/east of I-25 especially after 2pm (eastern plains will be favored)

• Then models show a cold-front moving down the front-range after 11am Fri and this will usher in even cooler weather and better chance for storms (for Den/Bou) likely in the 2pm-9pm timeframe on Fri (some stronger storms in spots

• North-central mountains and front-range mountains and foothills will also have a better chance for storm on Fri from about 1pm-8pm (again likely favoring the Front Range mountains near/east of Cont. Divide, but Summit/Grand counties will likely get some as well)

• Likely best coverage for storms on Fri evening will be over southern front-range / southeast plains after 2pm Fri

• Looking ahead we will stick with decent afternoon thunderstorm chances on Saturday (mostly after 2pm Sat) but coverage likely less than Fri (so some typical late day storms), and likely not too hot (seasonable temps this weekend)

  
  

First image shows the approaching short-wave trough at 12am Thu from latest GFS. Second image shows 2m Temperature Anomaly at 6pm Fri from latest GFS showing the colder air along the front-range. Third image loop shows forecast radar over the next 48hrs (6am this morning through 6am Fri) from latest HRRR, take with grain of salt but you can see rain chances increase on Thu into Fri.