Foot of snow possible in some parts of Colorado, hail and rain for others
Mother Nature is sending a frenzy of weather toward the Pikes Peak region Tuesday, with the possibility of rain, snow, hail, lightning and gusty winds later in the day.
The National Weather Service predicted showers and thunderstorms between 10 a.m. and noon for central Colorado Springs with a high of 61 degrees Tuesday. Though precipitation should taper off by the end of the night, more rain is expected to fall Wednesday.
Rain was also likely after 9 a.m. Tuesday in northern El Paso County, though colder transitions could transition the rain to snow late Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Highs at the Air Force Academy and in Black Forest are expected to hit 50, though lows could drop to 34 and 32 degrees, respectively, overnight.
Across the region, the “main risks” are lightning, small hail up to a 1/2 inch in diameter and gusts up to 50 mph, the weather service wrote in a hazardous weather outlook.
Above 10,000 feet, the mountains could see between 1 to 3 inches. Higher totals — between 2 and 5 inches — are possible farther west in the eastern Sawatch and Western Mosquito mountain ranges. Farther west on the Interstate 70 corridor and in the San Juans, a foot could pile up on high peaks.
Tuesday’s storms come on the heels of a week of tumultuous weather in Colorado.
At least seven tornadoes touched down in eastern Colorado Sunday, halting 60 flights into Denver International Airport and delaying 440 more. Another eight hit the northeastern plains and dropped hail as large as tennis balls near Holyoke, the Associated Press reported.
Denver was also hit with pea-sized hail early Tuesday.
In the mountains, snow continued to pile up the mountains. The state’s snowpack reached 280% of normal and 753% of last year’s total by May 24.
Colorado Springs has far surpassed the normal snowfall for May. By Tuesday morning, the weather channel reported 5.1 inches of snow compared with the usual 0.7 inches.
Steve Hailes and Doug Lollar (right to left) double team on snow blowers to clear the private road to Steve’s home in Black Forest. A large Spring storm hit the Pikes Peak region on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)