Colorado Weather: Scattered Storms Tuesday, Wildfire Smoke Returns Wednesday

DENVER (CBS4) - Fall arrived in Colorado at 7:31 a.m. Tuesday with temperatures feeling more like late summer. The morning low in Denver was 56 degrees which is 10 degrees above normal for September 22.

And check out the radar snapshot above from early Tuesday afternoon! It looks like something we'd see during the heart of monsoon season, which runs from late July through most of August.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected in Colorado's mountains this afternoon and some could even last into the evening. A few may try and drift from the foothills into Denver and onto the eastern plains. However the air near the surface is pretty dry across the lower elevations so showers may have a difficult time surviving the elevation drop.

The shower activity is thanks to southwest flow aloft which is bringing some moisture through the state. But a shift in the jet stream tonight will bring a different pattern for Wednesday.

Tomorrow's air will be coming from the northwest and that means wildfire smoke will return to the state, especially for areas along and north of Interstate 70.

We stay very warm through the end of the week with record highs possible in Denver by Thursday and Friday. A cold front should come into the picture this weekend and that will cool things off by several degrees.