Rare 'PDS' Tornado Watch Issued North Of Denver

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - The National Weather Service has issued a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" tornado watch for areas to the north of downtown Denver.

Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley and Fort Morgan are included in the watch box which is in effect until 8 pm.

Wording from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center says that several tornadoes are possible this afternoon and evening, and a few could be intense.

There is also the potential to see widespread large hail with pockets of hail up to 4 inches in diameter.

Winds in excess of 75 mph could accompany storms.

A PDS tornado watch is rare. A research paper by Andrew Dean states that between 1996 and 2005, only 7 percent of tornado watches issued in the United States were PDS.

LATEST FORECAST FROM COLORADO'S WEATHER CENTER: Low Pressure System Spawns Stormy Weather

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.