The weather in metro Denver will be cloudy, cool, and wet on Wednesday with gray skies and afternoon thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.

Scattered rain showers were expected Wednesday morning, and some of the storms forming in the mountains and rolling eastward along the Palmer Divide between Denver and Colorado Springs Wednesday afternoon may be severe, weather service forecasters said.

The high temperature in Denver Wednesday will be 67 degrees, decreasing to 56 degrees at night, forecasters said. On Thursday and Friday, the high temperatures are expected to increase, exceeding 80 degrees. Meteorologists estimated the likelihood of rain on Wednesday at 50 percent.

Strong storms are expected mostly in areas south of Denver over Jefferson, Douglas, and Elbert counties, forecasters said. These could bring hail and heavy rain — and possibly an isolated weak tornado. Intense rain west of metro Denver over mountain areas burned by wildfires could lead to flooding, forecasters said, though storms were expected to move eastward.