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Denver Weather: Approaching 80 Degrees With Gusty Storms Possible

DENVER (CBS4) - Shifting winds in the upper atmosphere above Colorado on Friday will allow temperatures to soar at least 15 degrees higher than Thursday. That means highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees in the Denver metro area.

In addition to the unusually warm weather for late April, Friday will include a mix of sun and clouds through the day.

Most areas will stay dry except in the mountains where scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon. Then late in the afternoon and more likely in the early evening, a handful of the mountain thunderstorms will drift east toward Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. As they do, they will encounter fairly dry air that will make it difficult for them to produce rain below 6,000 feet. So while rain is unlikely in the metro area, the storms could produce very gusty wind mainly between 5 p.m. and sunset. These outflow winds could top 50 mph but the chance of actually experiencing these winds in your area is only about 20%.

The chance for thunderstorms in the metro area will largely end as the sun sets Friday evening but around the same time a surge of moisture is expected to reach the mountains. These will cause a good chance for rain and snow in the high country. The snow level could drop as low as 9,000 meaning some mountain towns like Siverthrone, Dillon, Frisco, and Breckenridge could see some minor snow accumulation. Meanwhile above 10,000 feet there will likely be 4-8 inches of snow Friday night.

This weekend will include mostly sunny skies and slightly cooler temperatures in the lower 70s on Saturday. That's still above normal for April. The metro area stays in the 70s on Sunday with a 20% chance for thunderstorms late in the day. Then much better chance for rain will develop from Sunday night through at least Tuesday next week. And it's possible we could see a rain/snow mix in the Denver area Tuesday morning. Denver averages 1.7 inches of snow in May but many years we have no snow at all.

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