Watch For Storms Over Open Colorado Mountain Passes And Roads This Weekend

DENVER(CBS)-  As we get closer to the first weekend of June lots of Coloradans will be heading to the hills with the beginning of the timed-entry permits for Rocky Mountain National Park and opening of Trail Ridge Road as well as Independence Pass.

There will be several chances for stormy weather from now through the end of the weekend. Heading into Friday travelers should encounter warm temperatures and just a slight chance for afternoon thunderstorms. With most areas sitting with a 20 percent chance for thunderstorms.

The better chance for rain and t-storms in the mountains will arrive on Saturday with many areas seeing the chance for showers and storms zoom up to 80 percent. The combination of  passing storm system to the west and a strong upper level jet should be enough to get a soggy Saturday going.

In fact, there may be rain showers on Saturday morning for several northern and central mountain areas before the afternoon and evening thunderstorms get going.

Sunday's rain and storm chances from the Trail Ridge Road area down through Independence Pass region drop to 10 percent for afternoon showers and storms. As is always the case if you are traveling over any mountain areas in the state from Spring into early Summer plan on extreme weather changes in very short periods of time.

A hot, sunny morning can turn cold and even snow with the passage of thunderstorms or a cold front as will be the case on Saturday.

Several other passes are also now open in Colorado, including Cottonwood Pass and Kebler Pass.