DENVER — The Denver metro area is under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. Wednesday as an enhanced risk of severe weather is bringing the threat of isolated tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.
The tornado watch includes Castle Rock, Colorado Springs and stretches east through the Colorado plains.
Multiple tornado warnings have already been issued with some allowed to expire. Click here for the latest tornado warnings.
Denver’s weather pattern over the next several days will remain unsettled as a system continues to push through Colorado. Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson said as the evening hours progress the bulk of the severe weather should push east of the Denver metro area.
The cool and unsettled weather will stick around with heavy rain and thunderstorms remaining in Denver through Thursday, but the severe weather threat will diiminish, Nelson said.
While there is a potential for flooding in the burn scar areas, the NWS said it expected the heaviest rainfall to develop north of the I-76 Corridor and north of Interstate 70 for the higher elevations.
A flood watch is set to go into effect starting Thursday morning for north central and northeast Colorado including Fort Collins, Fort Morgan and Greeley.
Check the latest weather alerts.
Precipitation totals from the storm should fall between 1 to 3 inches for the north-central and northeast portions of Colorado through Thursday, the NWS predicted. Snow is expected to fall above 10,000 feet in some areas of the high country with up to 16 inches possible.
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The storm system will continue to push through and by Friday evening, rain chances will diminish as the upper-level low will weaken, according to the NWS.
On a side note: Denver was to begin testing its outdoor warning sirens Wednesday at 11 a.m., but the city's office of emergency management delayed testing the sirens due to the potential for severe weather.
The city of Lakewood also announced it will cancel its test of outdoor sirens Wednesday.
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What's Denver weather like in May?
If you're new to Colorado, May is one of those weird weather months that likes to show off its “adventurous” side. As the National Weather Service puts it, “Just about anything can happen in the month of May when it comes to Denver's weather.”
May is considered Denver’s wettest month of the year. The monthly mean for precipitation is 2.12 inches. The wettest May in Denver history (and wettest month ever) brought 8.57 inches of precipitation in 1876.
Flip through the interactive weather graphics below or at this link if you'd like to learn more about May weather in Colorado.
Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson provides an outlook on May weather and explains some of the extreme weather statistics and the potential for snow. Watch the video in the player below:
Denver7's Robert Garrison contributed to this report.
