The National Weather Service issued a series of severe-thunderstorm warnings for Colorado’s Front Range and mountain communities late Friday and Saturday, initially covering El Paso and Teller counties and later extending to Boulder and Jefferson counties. The alerts, in effect through 4:15 p.m. MDT on Aug. 23, warn of wind gusts up to 60 mph, quarter-size hail and brief torrents of rain capable of triggering sudden runoff in steep terrain. Farther west, NWS Reno placed parts of the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe basin— including Kings Beach, Stateline and Verdi—under severe-storm advisories, and at 2:31 p.m. PDT issued a flash-flood warning for Nevada, Sierra and Washoe counties through 4:30 p.m. Forecasters said intense cells could unleash heavy downpours over burn scars and narrow canyons, increasing the risk of debris flows and road washouts. Emergency managers urged residents and visitors to move indoors at the first sign of lightning, avoid low-lying crossings and monitor official channels for updates as the fast-moving storms track across the Rockies and Sierra crest.