Dangerous weather will be present tonight from the Rocky Front Ranges to the western High Plains. Damaging winds and heavy hail are the main risks, although an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.

A complex storm will reach the western High Plains this evening and tonight. Thunderstorms with a history of bringing damaging wind gusts in excess of 50 to 60 mph across Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming will move eastward this evening and tonight, reaching the northern and western High Plains between the western Dakotas and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect from eastern New Mexico and Colorado to southeastern Wyoming, extreme northwestern Kansas, and western Nebraska. Includes Cheyenne, Wyoming; Scottsbluff, Sidney and North Platte, Nebraska; Goodland, Kansas; Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Trinidad, Colorado; and Roswell, Clovis, and Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Additional clusters or lines of strong thunderstorms will increase in size during the late afternoon and spread across much of northern and eastern Montana before slowly dissipating overnight or early Wednesday morning near and ahead of the storm’s warm front. These thunderstorms, unfortunately, may bring damaging wind gusts, hailstones larger than quarters, and an isolated tornado or two.

The government’s storm forecasting center has a Increased risk for hazardous weather in western Nebraska, northeastern Colorado, and far northwestern Kansas. Isolated gusts of up to 75 to 80 miles per hour are possible, in addition to isolated hailstorms larger than quarters. Fort Morgan and Sterling, Colorado, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, are in this severe weather danger zone.

A larger storm zone extends from the US-Canadian border around the Increased risk from Montana and western North Dakota to eastern New Mexico. Larger cities such as Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora (Colorado), Rapid City (South Dakota) and Glasgow (Montana) need to keep an eye on the skies for impending weather conditions.

There have been more than a handful of severe weather reports so far today from Utah to Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. A gust of 72 mph was measured near Blende, Colorado, and a gust of 71 mph was measured near Yoder, Colorado. Earlier today, a gust of 63 mph was measured in Oxford, Colorado, and a gust of 62 mph was reported near Wellsville, Utah.

It is important to be weatherproof so that you do not have to prepare. One way to do this is to know warnings and their respective meanings. If a regard is issued, it means that severe weather is possible and you should be alert to any changing weather. If a warning is issued, it means severe weather is imminent and you must act quickly to stay safe. Remember, “When there’s thunder, get indoors!”