A cooler and somewhat foggy week for the eastern plains of Colorado transitions back to late summer-like conditions for the weekend ahead of a sharp drop in temperatures Monday.

Eastern Plains

While Springfield will be one of the warmest spots in the state Friday, with a high in the mid-80s, its high temperature for Monday will be nearly cut in half, settling in the 40s. Elsewhere across southeast Colorado, Friday’s highs will mainly be in the 70s, which will continue into the weekend. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected across the southeast before drying out for Saturday and Sunday.

The northeast portion of the state will be slightly cooler Friday, with highs in the 60 before 70s dominate the weekend.

Winter starts to make an appearance Sunday night in northern Colorado. Fort Morgan and Sterling may see their first snow fall of the season in the form of a rain-snow mix Monday. Limon’s overnight low Sunday night – 38 degrees – will become Monday’s high, which will also help produce a rain-snow mix that tapers off later in the day.

Further south, snow becomes less likely, though temperatures will also fall off Monday. Eads can expect a high of just 44 after a weekend of mid-70s, with the temperature falling to just above freezing Monday night.

West Slope

Western Colorado can look forward to a relatively mild weekend, with daytime temperatures in the 60s to low 70s. Overnight lows will be falling into the 30s, with a few upper 20s in the far southwest.

For Monday, expect temperatures to fall into the 50s across most of the area, though northwest Colorado is likely to struggle into the 40s.

Look for generally dry conditions to continue through the weekend before the polar jet streak begins dropping into the area Monday. Models are mixed for the chance of precipitation to start the week; however, Thursday does present a chance of precipitation – though brief – across the region.

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