Warm temps return after storms, afternoon rain showers

After severe storms over the weekend that brought tornado touchdowns, damaging winds and up to baseball-sized hail, Tuesday’s afternoon rain showers will seem tame by comparison, according to the National Weather Service.

The Palmer Divide and Interstate 25 Corridor have small chances of afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers amid an otherwise warm and sunny day, according to NWS forecasters.

Denver and the surrounding metro area will see highs peaking around 87 degrees before temperatures dip down into the low 60s overnight, forecasters said.

Isolated thunderstorms are expected mainly west and south of Denver in the late afternoon and early evening hours, according to a NWS hazardous weather outlook. Most of the storms will produce brief rain, but the strongest storms could produce heavy rain, quarter-sized hail up to an inch in diameter and wind gusts to 60 mph.

The greatest threat of storms Tuesday is on the plains south of Castle Rock and Limon between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., NWS forecasters said in the outlook.

Temperatures are expected to jump nearly 10 degrees between Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs of 95 degrees projected for the city, NWS forecasters said.