Severe Thunderstorm Warning: Bent, Kiowa, and Prowers Counties, CO Until 6:30 PM MDT

Published: September 20, 2026, 4:47 PM PDT (5:47 PM MDT). The National Weather Service in Pueblo, Colorado, has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of southeastern Colorado — northwestern Prowers County, eastern Kiowa County, and northeastern Bent County — until 6:30 PM MDT tonight. The warned storm is packing golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts, with the NWS tagging the thunderstorm damage threat as CONSIDERABLE. This is the kind of storm that turns into roof, siding, and window claims by morning — and tornados can spin up quickly from storms like this one.

This is a live snapshot as of 4:47 PM PDT. Conditions change fast — always verify with the National Weather Service for your specific county or ZIP code.

Prowers County — Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Issuing office: NWS Pueblo, CO. Issued: 5:42 PM MDT, September 20, 2026. Expires: 6:30 PM MDT, September 20, 2026. Status: Active — certainty observed, urgency immediate, severity severe.

Per the NWS alert, at 5:42 PM MDT a severe thunderstorm was located near Eads, or 26 miles southwest of Cheyenne Wells, moving south at 35 mph.

• Hazard: golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.
• Source: radar indicated.
• Impact (verbatim from NWS): “People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.”

Locations impacted include: Eads, Sheridan Lake, Neeoshe Reservoir, Sweetwater Reservoir, Chivington, Brandon, Neegronda Reservoir, and Queens Reservoir.

NWS Pueblo office page — NWS alert source

Kiowa County — Severe Thunderstorm Warning

The same warning covers eastern Kiowa County, including the Eads and Sheridan Lake area where the storm was located at issuance. Same hazard package: golf ball size hail, 60 mph gusts, radar-indicated source, CONSIDERABLE damage threat. Kiowa County sits squarely in the storm’s southward track — residents and businesses in Eads and Sheridan Lake are in the immediate path.

Bent County — Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Northeastern Bent County is also included in this warning. The southward-moving storm at 35 mph puts the northeastern corner of Bent County — including the reservoir areas east of the county line (Neegronda and Queens Reservoirs are named impact locations) — in the window of impact through the 6:30 PM MDT expiry.

A note from the NWS tornado guidance in this alert: tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. The storm has a flagged “possible” tornado detection parameter. If you spot a tornado, go at once into the basement or a small central room in a sturdy structure.

Stay safe — hail and wind

• Get indoors now and stay there until the warning expires. Hail this size injures people and animals outdoors — that is NWS wording, not hype.
• Vehicles: hail damage to vehicles is expected. If you’re driving, pull off the road under solid cover if you can do so safely; never stop under an overpass on a highway — it blocks traffic and is dangerous for everyone behind you.
• Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. The NWS specifically flags that tornadoes can develop quickly from these storms, so treat the warning like a tornado drill: small central room, away from windows.
• Stay out of flooded roadways if heavy rain follows the storm — turn around, don’t drown.
• After the storm: stay away from downed power lines, watch for broken glass and scattered debris, and photograph any damage to your roof, siding, windows, and vehicles before you touch anything — documentation matters for insurance.

What this means for restoration teams

Golf ball size hail with a CONSIDERABLE damage-threat tag in a cluster of small southeastern Colorado towns is a classic roofing and exterior-repair demand spike. Expect hail damage to roofs, siding, and windows — and with 60 mph gusts, expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees on top of it. Calls will start tonight and keep coming for days as homeowners discover leaks and cracked shingles in daylight.

The play:

• Stage now, not tomorrow. Pre-position roofing repair materials, tarps, and window-boarding supplies for Eads, Sheridan Lake, and the surrounding county areas tonight. Emergency tarping calls are the first wave.
• Interior water follows roof damage. Hail-cracked shingles and wind-torn flashing let rain in — that means saturated drywall and insulation, and mold risk within 24–48 hours if wet materials aren’t dried. Treat every hail claim as a potential water-intrusion job.
• Keep an on-call rotation through the morning. Tornado-possible tagging means tree-fall and structural damage can’t be ruled out — be ready for emergency board-up alongside the roofing work.
• First-call capture: get the address, the damage source (hail, wind, or both), and which areas of the home are affected. Photo-document before mitigation, moisture-map every affected room, and keep the homeowner’s payment responsibility clear in writing before work starts.

Demand window: hail claims typically report within hours of the storm and keep coming for a week as adjusters get scheduled. The restoration contractor who tarps tonight often wins the mitigation job later.

FEMA & federal assistance

If damage is severe, the FEMA Helpline is 1-800-621-3362 (7 a.m.–10 p.m. local time, 7 days a week). You can also apply at DisasterAssistance.gov, through the FEMA app, or find a recovery center at fema.gov/drc. Basic eligibility: U.S. citizenship or qualified status, identity verification, proof of occupancy or ownership, and unmet needs not covered by insurance. Apply as soon as it is safe to do so.

Looking ahead

The warning expires at 6:30 PM MDT — but that is not the end of the story. Additional storms can redevelop along the same track this evening, and wind-tossed debris and weakened trees remain a hazard overnight. Watch for follow-up warnings from NWS Pueblo and check the Storm Prediction Center for updated outlooks. Water-intrusion calls tied to roof damage typically start within hours and continue for days as homeowners spot stains and leaks — contractors should expect the phone to keep ringing well past tonight.

Sources & how to verify

• NWS alert: Severe Thunderstorm Warning, NWS Pueblo CO, issued 5:42 PM MDT September 20, 2026
• NWS Pueblo office page

To verify for your own county or ZIP code: go to weather.gov, enter your ZIP, or check your local NWS office page for active alerts.

This post is for informational purposes and is not an official weather warning. Always follow instructions from local authorities and the National Weather Service.