Denver Weather: Big Warmup Friday

DENVER (CBS4) - The jet stream streaming across the country will be directly over the eastern half of Colorado on Thursday. This will cause significant wind in the atmosphere that will eventually mix down to the ground. Therefore winds will increase throughout the day and eventually gusts will top 30 mph in the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins areas Thursday afternoon.

The wind will be coming from the north so when the wind is noticeable on Thursday, it will make it feel much cooler than temperatures would otherwise suggest. Highs along the Front Range will be in the upper 50s and lower 60s which is near normal for April 18.

On Thursday night the jet stream will shift away from Colorado to the east. As this happens, it will allow a large ridge of high pressure to build over the Rocky Mountain region on Friday and Saturday allowing for sunny skies, light winds, and much warmer temperatures. Highs in the Denver metro area will be in the mid and upper 70s both Friday and Saturday.

Then a storm system will move into Colorado Saturday night bringing mostly cloudy skies, much cooler temperatures, and a good chance for rain on Easter Sunday. It will not rain all day but there will be periods of rain with the best chance in the afternoon.