Western Colorado Weather: One Last Hot Day Before Weekend Cold Front and Rain

Colorado has one more hot day to get through.

Friday will still feel like late August, with temperatures running 5 to 10 degrees above normal and scattered afternoon storms mainly sticking to the higher terrain.

After that, though, the weather pattern is finally getting a much-needed shake-up.

Friday Stays Hot and Mostly Dry

According to the National Weather Service, high pressure is still hanging around south of the Four Corners, keeping most of the region hot and dry for one more day.

There will still be enough leftover moisture for scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, especially in the mountains of western Colorado and eastern Utah. A stronger storm could produce localized heavy rain, but the flash flooding threat around burn scars looks low and pretty isolated compared to earlier this month.

Northwest Colorado could also see some breezy afternoon winds, with localized critical fire weather conditions possible.

Then Things Start Changing

The real shift begins Friday night as moisture starts moving back into the region.

Saturday morning could begin mostly cloudy, and that cloud cover may actually limit how much afternoon heating — and therefore how much thunderstorm intensity — we see. That doesn't mean it will be quiet, though.

Several disturbances moving through the increasingly moist atmosphere could keep showers and storms going overnight and into Sunday.

Read More: From Kebler Pass to Peak to Peak: The Best Autumn Foliage Drives Across Colorado

Sunday Looks Especially Active

A cold front is expected to move through Sunday afternoon, providing another boost for showers and thunderstorms.

The weather should continue into Monday as another disturbance moves through behind it. With deeper moisture in place, the threat for heavy rain and flash flooding will increase, particularly around burn scars and other vulnerable terrain.

A Wetter Start to September

The forecast gets fuzzier by the middle of next week because, naturally, the weather models have decided they don't completely agree yet.

Still, the overall trend is pretty clear: cooler temperatures, more moisture and more opportunities for showers and thunderstorms as we head into September.

There could even be another push of moisture later next week.

For now, enjoy Friday's heat if that's your thing.

The weather is about to get a lot more interesting.