There is a risk for large hail and a few tornadoes across much of eastern Colorado Friday, including Kiowa County. Thursday afternoon, a tornado watch was issued for 20 northeastern counties. A tornado warning was issued shortly before 11:00 p.m. when a tornado was spotted five miles south of Holyoke in Phillips County. The warning expireed 20 minutes later. No reports of significant damage have been received.

Severe storms are possible for Kiowa, Bent and Prowers counties, potentially producing golf ball-size hail and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Heavy rain, flash flooding and even a few tornadoes will be possible across much of the eastern portion of Colorado where thunderstorms form.

High temperatures in the low 90s are expected for most of Kiowa County. Far western areas will be slightly warmer. Overnight, low 60s are predicted.

By this afternoon, winds will be out of east, with gusts up to 15 mph.

Saturday will see some cooling as temperatures only reach the low 80s. Showers and thunderstorms are predicted after noon, with the potential increasing later in the day into the late evening.

Tornado Safety Tips

If a tornado warning is issued for your area, consider these safety tips

• Avoid windows
• Go to a basement and use a sturdy table or mattress for protection
• If a basement is not available, go to a central, windowless room on the lowest level
• Mobile homes / manufactured home are NOT safe, even if tied down - go to a shelter
• Vehicles are not safe in a tornado - go to a shelter
• If you are caught outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building if possible - if not available, lie flat on the ground, use your arms to cover your head, and stay far away from trees

Currently, KiowaCountyPress.net Live Weather from downtown Eads shows [weather:currwinddir] wind at [weather:currwindspeed] mph. Thursday night, winds were gusting to 17 mph. The current temperature is [weather:currtemp], with [weather:currrain] inches of rain so far today. Yesterday, 0.00 inches of rain was recorded in Eads, with an unofficial high of 100. The strongest wind gust since midnight was [weather:todaymaxwindspeed] mph, while the high temperature for the day so far was [weather:todayhightemp] at [weather:todayhightemptime].

Elsewhere in Colorado, minor flooding continues to be possible for north central mountain streams. A flood warning is in effect through Saturday morning for the Arkansas River near Avondale in Pueblo County due to continued releases from Pueblo Reservoir.

Weather information updated throughout the day is available at http://weather.KiowaCountyPress.net.