All eyes on the sky today as our storm chances increase once more and we see an elevated threat of severe thunderstorms across Eastern Colorado today.

The greater severe threat may end up being today vs tomorrow, but both afternoons will feature a good chance of storms across the eastern half of the state, of which some are likely to turn severe. Damaging hail and winds are the greatest threat, but a tornado can not be ruled out.

Thursday's forecast
Below is a look at thunderstorm probabilities for this afternoon across the state. A good chance, and a good day to stay weather-aware.

The SPC has issued a Slight Risk for severe storms today across the region. This is indicative of the increased severe threat today for our area, particularly along and east of I-25:

The hourly planner shows a 50 to 60% chance of storms for the Denver area today, with perhaps a bit better chance on the way Friday. Highs will be in the upper 70s to near 80°F today in Denver, cooling into the low to mid 70s for highs on Friday before warming into the weekend again.  

As is usually case with convective summer storms, not everyone sees the rain today. Odds are good there will be storms, but whether that equates to water in your backyard is a now-forecast type of scenario. A look at the HRRR precipitation forecast through this evening shows storms developing along the Front Range then moving east/northeast. Where storms do setup totals could locally be heavy (+1" in some cases) where down the street may see no water at all!

Friday's forecast
Friday we see slightly cooler temperatures across the area, and perhaps a slightly lower severe threat (though that could change based on what happens today). Still a good chance of storms looks it would appear, with a near 80% chance for storms in and around the Denver area Friday.

Friday's thunderstorm outlook:

For Denver we see those good precipitation odds today and tomorrow before drying out for the weekend. Our latest probabilities would suggest we could see an uptick once more in storm activity as we head into early next week, the first days of ... July!

Again, pay attention to the weather today. Storms that develop are likely to turn severe, so have a plan to seek shelter if you end up in the path of a storm this afternoon – hail and damaging wind will be your primary threat.