textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Hot, dry, windy conditions will produce pockets of critical fire weather conditions for the West Slope Monday, favoring southwest CO.

- Near to slightly above normal temperatures Monday will return to 10 degrees above average this week.

- Afternoon showers and thunderstorms will remain in the forecast each afternoon on the mountains through, at least, mid-week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1033 PM MDT Sun May 31 2026

Some isolated thunderstorms remain across northeast Utah but seem to be winding down overall. The low pressure system responsible will be lifting across the northern Rockies with some drier air advecting into the Four Corners under southerly flow Monday. Some lingering moisture remains with a subtle shortwave to help produce some isolated storms over the eastern Uintas and perhaps the spine of the Divide. Relative humidity will be in the single digits for areas along and south of I-70 mainly focused across southeast Utah and southwest Colorado with some occasionally breezy conditions. This will lead to some elevated fire weather concerns but coverage and duration seems spotty at best and localized, so opted not to issue any fire weather highlights at this time.

High pressure amplifies out east with a cut off low sitting over the northern Baja. The airmass out across the Desert Southwest where this cut off low remains is very dry but the combination of the upper low across the northern Rockies and the high pressure out east will help draw some moisture northward along the spine of the Divide and across the Front Range by mid week. Temperatures under this drier air mass will allow temperatures to rise Monday and Tuesday to around 5 to 10 degrees above normal. Wednesday and Thursday appear to provide the better chances of storms along the higher terrain along the Divide as some shortwaves push across the area but we are on the western fringes of this moisture push. Most areas still appear to remain warm and dry with gusty winds the primary concern with afternoon storms along the Divide as the better moisture remains east of the Divide. Drier air then pushes in again as the flow shifts to westerly late in the week heading into the coming weekend. Temperatures heat up a bit more as a result with highs exceeding 10 degrees above normal in some areas. A deeper trough looks to push in late in the weekend, potentially allowing for breezy to windy conditions as the southwest gradient tightens with our CWA on the drier side of this low. This may lead to increasing critical fire weather concerns with more widespread conditions.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/

Issued at 1116 PM MDT Sun May 31 2026

There could be a passing shower or thunderstorm near KVEL through 08Z this morning...otherwise VFR conditions and light winds expected over the next 24 hours.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...None. UT...None.