Forecast for the end of week / weekend: increasing thunderstorm chances (especially Thu)

04/23/25 8:30am: Getting into thunderstorm season now and we have some weather to talk about. We will have increasing thunderstorm chances along the front-range (and especially eastern plains) from today into tomorrow and a continued chance on Fri. Best chances for storms and heaviest rain will likely be along/east of I-25 on each day. Some details:

• For today for Den/Bou and the foothills isolated, high-based storms from 3pm-9pm (most areas stay dry)

• Best chances for thunderstorm today will be over the eastern plains, from DIA south and east: near the Palmer Divide and onto the eastern plains closer to Akron to Limon (image 2 shows where the best chances are for today)

• A surface cold-front (with a change in wind-direction coming out of the northeast) will move into the front-range tomorrow afternoon....this will spark some storms closer to Den/Bou and along the I-25 corridor: 2pm-6pm, some stronger storms in spots, it will be spotty

• After 4pm tomorrow, the strongest storms are expected on the eastern plains, east of a line from Greeley to DIA (a few severe storms in spots, with some hail, heavy rain and wind)

• Along the front-range rain showers may linger over parts of Den/Bou and the foothills Thu night through 3am Fri and it will likely be cool and cloudy with a few showers Fri am

• Front Range mountains along/east of the Cont. Divide may get a few rain/snow showers between 3pm Thu to 3am Fri: Trace-2" of snow in spots. Very little rain/snow west of the Tunnels

• On Friday we will be in post-frontal environment east of the Cont. Divide with another chance for some rain/thunderstorms for Den/Bou and the foothills (during the morning initially). Then after 12pm, best chances will be in the foothills again and from Denver south, and especially across the southern front-range (towards Springs). So unsettled on Fri with rain chances but may not be much

• Again on Fri afternoon little rain/snow for the mountains west of the Cont. Divide

• Looking ahead to the weekend, a ridge of high pressure returns and overall look warm and dry across the state for Sat, Sun (should be pleasant weather to be outside).

• Maybe a few storm over the extreme eastern plains on Sat afternoon and Sun afternoon (after 3pm, east of Akron to Limon)

• Looking ahead, potentially a more active and colder pattern with some snow for the mountains from Mon night (04/28) to Thu (05/01), best chances Tue am with some snow for the mountains, uncertainty is high

First image loop shows forecast radar over the next 48hrs (6am this morning to 6am Fri) from latest HRRR. Second image shows the severe weather outlook for today (best chances dark greens to yellow). Image 3 shows the cold-front and rain on Thu afternoon from latest GFS. Image 4 shows forecast total liquid precip from now through 6am Sat from latest ECMWF model, take with big grain of salt as its convective / thunderstorms so will be spotty and hard to predict.