A stretch of weather drama late Monday afternoon prompted travelers at Denver International Airport to take shelter briefly during a tornado warning, while areas all along the Front Range remained on the alert for flash flooding.
And though Tuesday’s forecast calls for more rain, the National Weather Service in Boulder said it probably wouldn’t include anything like Monday’s unexpected activity, which produced two confirmed tornadoes.
One touched down about two miles south of Fort Lupton and the second near Rocky Mountain Arsenal. No damage was immediately reported.
The Weather Service predicted a slight chance of storms Tuesday morning, but then a 60 to 70 percent chance of precipitation almost everywhere along the Front Range, from the Continental Divide east into the plains.
Chances of rain are 60 percent throughout Tuesday night, slipping slightly to 50 percent by Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, for the second straight day, a flash flood watch went into effect Monday for nearly all of southern Colorado. The Weather Service extended that watch to nearly the entire Interstate 25 corridor, including Denver, Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain National Park.
The tornado warning in Denver, southern Weld and northwestern Adams counties didn’t last long — about 15 minutes.
But once that threat was past, concern remained for flooding in the state’s southern region — particularly areas around the Waldo Canyon burn scar.
Meteorologists say the areas with the biggest threat are from the foothills east of Fort Collins all the way to south Pueblo, meaning the Denver area could see heavy rainfall, too.
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739, ksimpson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ksimpsondp
