A sunny warm morning under mostly clear blue cloudy skies may lead to thunderstorms Friday afternoon in metro Denver, ahead of a mild Saturday, shifting toward intense summer heat Sunday and early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

The wind will blow at speeds around 11 miles per hour, and any rain likely will fall after 4 p.m. Friday, weather service forecasters said, estimating the likelihood of rain at 20%. Night thunderstorms are possible with the likelihood of rain around 40% Friday night, forecasters said.

State health officials again issued an air quality alert Friday, the second straight day.

The high temperature in Denver will be 86 degrees on Friday, decreasing to 61 degrees at night, forecasters said. On Saturday, the high temperature will be 84 degrees. Then meteorologists anticipate increased heat with a high temperature of 91 degrees Sunday and as high as 98 degrees on Monday.

Lighting and thunder were expected in Colorado’s western mountains on Friday. Scattered thunderstorms along the urban Interstate 25 corridor and on the eastern high plains Friday and Saturday could include strong storms, bringing bursts of wind and hail, forecasters said. The shift toward hot and dry weather with wind on Sunday and into next week will raise risks of fires around western Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment air quality alert says that ground-level ozone air pollution will reach levels unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, the elderly, and people with breathing problems such as asthma. The worst pollution was expected in the south and southwestern suburbs of Denver. State officials appealed to residents to limit driving in non-electric vehicles and to delay lawn-mowing and other activities that use gas-powered machinery.

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