Denver, CO
Colorado weather: Afternoon thunderstorms threaten flooding, large hail, strong winds
Afternoon thunderstorms moving across Colorado on Thursday could bring flash floods, large hail and strong winds, according to the National Weather Service.
Widespread showers and thunderstorms are forecast across the mountains today, and will gradually spread into the Interstate 25 corridor and plains this afternoon and evening, NWS forecasters said in a hazardous weather alert Thursday.
Thunderstorms will bring heavy rain and possible flash flooding, especially over alpine burn scars, according to the hazardous weather outlook.
In areas where fire burns hot or long enough — including burn scars left by the Cameron Peak fire in Jackson and Larimer counties, the East Troublesome fire in Grand and Larimer counties, the Williams Fork fire in Grand County and the Alexander Mountain fire in Larimer County — the soil develops a water-repellant layer that reacts like rain on pavement, weather officials said.
Rainfall that would normally be absorbed by the forest canopy and loose tree litter on the ground instead runs off, starting flash floods during periods of heavy rain.
“If you can look uphill from where you are and see a burnt-out area, you are at risk,” NWS meteorologists said.
Gusty winds and hail are the main threats over Denver and east of the metro area, forecasters said in the hazardous weather outlook.
Expected wind speeds and hail sizes were not available Thursday morning, but NWS categorizes “strong” winds as 60 mph or more and “large” hail as hail from 1 inch to 1 3/4 inch in diameter — between the size of quarters and golf balls.
Storms will be most active in Denver between 5 p.m. and midnight, and strongest across the Eastern Plains between 2 p.m. and midnight, according to NWS meteorologists.
Denver will see temperature highs of 86 degrees Thursday before dropping into the low 60s overnight, according to forecasters.
Severe weather will continue throughout the week in the mountains and upper foothills, but the metro area can expect only mild afternoon showers through the weekend, forecasters said.
Denver, CO
Colorado State Patrol urges drivers to remain in Denver amid winter weather in the mountains
GEORGETOWN, Colo. — The Colorado State Patrol said the “best option” is to remain in Denver amid winter weather that’s impacting roadways in the mountains.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the agency said westbound Interstate 70 is closed at Georgetown due to unsafe conditions between Georgetown and the Palmer Divide.
There is limited lodging and parking in Clear Creek County, according to CSP. The agency said the “best option is to stay in Denver.” It is unclear when the roadway will reopen.
Eastbound I-70 traffic was held at the Eisenhower Tunnel due to a crash just east of the tunnel, according to CSP. The roadway has since reopened.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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How Broncos’ Alex Singleton, Wil Lutz ended up in the Colorado Ballet’s rendition of “The Nutcracker”
If you find yourself in a Christmas chariot this week, perhaps a pair of Broncos will be carrying it.
Denver inside linebacker Alex Singleton and kicker Wil Lutz looked like pros over the weekend at the Colorado Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker.”
The duo made brief appearances in the ballet’s rendition of the Christmas classic on Sunday night at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House downtown.
They carried out a chariot with a ballet dancer inside at the start of the Arabian Dance. Then they stood on the stage and posed for a minute before their appearance was finished.
It lasted, Singleton told The Denver Post, maybe two minutes.
And it was nerve-wracking.
“Oh yeah,” Singleton said on Tuesday. “I didn’t know what to do. But it was kind of funny, we just stood there.”
The whole thing came about because the Broncos and the Colorado Ballet each have Dr. James Genuario on their medical staff.
That helped clear the path for Singleton, who is on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in September, to participate.
“That was my first question: Can I do it? And he was like, ‘Yeah, you’ll be fine,’” Singleton said. “I mean, I think the dancer weighed about 80 pounds and the carriage weighed about 10. So I carry more than that every day, which is nice.”
Range of motion is no problem exactly 10 weeks post-operation for Singleton.
“I got to 152 degrees,” he said. “Regular life is normal.”
Performing in a ballet, though, is hardly normal life. Singleton and Lutz had exactly zero advanced prep work for their big debut.
“I think it started at 6:30, we showed up about 6,” Singleton said. “At intermission, before we did it, they showed us how to do it and that was it. We just had to make sure the costumes fit us. … But it was really cool. We got to watch from backstage, meet all the people. It was really cool to see how it all runs and everything.”
Did you see Will Lutz and Alex Singleton in the Nutcracker with the @ColoradoBallet?🎄#BroncosCountry | @gs_off_field pic.twitter.com/Lon7TMqNj1
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) December 24, 2024
Singleton said he was not particularly familiar with “The Nutcracker,” Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet.
“I still don’t know the story,” he said. “We asked a couple of the dancers and they were explaining it to us. So I kind of know that it’s like a dream for the little girl where the Nutcracker comes alive, but that’s about it.”
Singleton, of course, was Denver’s leading tackler the past two years, a captain this fall and was calling Denver’s defense before tearing his ACL in Week 3 at Tampa Bay. The injury happened early in the game, but Singleton played the rest of the game with it before being told the severity of the injury that evening. He had ACL surgery on Oct. 15 in Los Angeles and then returned to spend time around the team and rehabilitate here.
Lutz has been a model of consistency in his second year kicking for the Broncos. Three days before appearing in the show he knocked home a pair of field goals against Los Angeles, including a season-long 55-yarder.
Lutz is now 29 of 32 for field goals on the season. The only kick of less than 50 yards he’s missed was a game-sealing block by Kansas City in Week 10. Lutz has also made all 38 extra points on the year.
His 90.6% field goal rate is sixth in the NFL among kickers with more than 20 field goal attempts.
On the Colorado Ballet’s social media channels, Singleton gave himself a 7 out of 10 and Lutz an 8 of 10, with the kicker saying he was proud that he didn’t blink once.
In the locker room, at least one teammate was skeptical.
“Oh my god, I had no idea what was going on,” tight end Adam Trautman told The Post. “All they did was pick something up. Now, if they’d have danced or something, that would have been elite. But no chance they can move like that.”
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Denver, CO
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