A LOW FLOODING THREAT is expected today in NE Colorado, but some other weather factors will come into play. West of the Continental Divide, dry southwest winds will push fire dangers sky-high. Along the eastern border areas, a round of severe thunderstorms is possible that could produce brief flooding in streets and fields.

The water vapor satellite photo below shows clouds/moist air where it is white or magenta and clear or dry air where it is darker or brown. Most of the state will flirt with near-record to record heat that will enhance mountain snowpack runoff. Further to the west, a cool, showery Pacific storm is approaching to impact weekend weather.

The red ellipse covering portions of eastern Colorado show where the threat of severe thunderstorms with large hail, high winds and brief heavy rainfall is possible. Surface moisture will increase as dew points rise into the 54-60°F range. One or two supercell thunderstorms could produce up to 1.15 in./30-45 mins. of rain in Sedgwick, Logan, Washington, Phillips and Yuma counties between 2:00pm and 10:00pm. The rest of the state will remain too dry to produce anything other than dry thunderstorms with gusty winds and lightning. We recommend that emergency managers monitor National Weather Service severe weather watches, warnings and statements closely from 1:00pm to 10:00pm.

The dashed yellow line in Arizona is a disturbance that will enter southwest Colorado by afternoon and trigger a round or two of dry thunderstorms west of the Divide, enhancing the high fire danger.