Tonight, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms across northeast Colorado, with storms becoming more widespread through the evening as a cold front moves in. The best chance for rain in the Denver metro area will be bet ween 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Some storms could bring gusty winds up to 45 mph, along with brief heavy rain and a small chance of small hail, mainly farther northeast of Denver.By late tonight and early Sunday morning, showers will begin to weaken as cooler air settles into the area. Low clouds may develop overnight before gradually clearing after sunrise. Winds will stay breezy for a while behind the cold front before calming down by Sunday morning. Sunday will be slightly cooler but still pleasant, with highs returning to the upper 60s and low 70s across the plains. Most areas should stay dry, and skies will gradually become sunnier through the day. The mountains and foothills may see a few clouds, but no major weather impacts are expected. Next week will bring much warmer and drier weather as a strong area of high pressure builds over Colorado. Temperatures will climb steadily into the mid and upper 80s across lower elevations, and some areas on the northeast plains could approach 90 degrees by the middle of the week. Wednesday is expected to be the hottest day, with Denver having a small chance of tying or breaking a daily heat record. Extra hot air arrives in Colorado next weekDry conditions are expected to continue through most of the work week, although there is still some uncertainty about whether a weather system could bring rain chances back toward the end of the week. The combination of warm temperatures, low humidity, and occasional gusty winds may also create periods of elevated fire danger across the region.DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather StreamClick here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream. ...read more read less