Denver sits at the edge of the Rocky Mountains on the high plains, and averages only around 380 mm (about 15 inches) of precipitation a year, making it a fairly dry city overall. What it lacks in total rainfall it makes up for in dramatic short-term weather: the same mountain-plains boundary that keeps annual totals low also fuels some of the most explosive summer thunderstorm development in the country, with hail being a particularly common and damaging hazard. Storms here can build from clear skies to severe within an hour, often in the late afternoon as heated air rises off the Front Range. Because Denver’s severe weather season is defined by these fast-forming, localized cells rather than long, region-wide rain events, radar tracking is one of the few tools that can give useful lead time before hail or a downburst arrives. The area is covered by the National Weather Service’s Doppler radar network east of the city.
Learn more: How Does Rain Radar Work? · Open the full Rain Map