textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Temperatures will gradually warm up throughout the week.

- Quick-hitting flurries/light snow moves across the northern mountains tomorrow morning.

- A more organized weather system moves through on Thursday bringing another round of light mountain snow, mainly along and north of I-70.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 122 PM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

A ridge of high pressure builds across the western CONUS early this week leading to warming days, cool nights, and drier conditions. A subtle shortwave accompanied by a slight uptick in moisture skirts across the northern Divide mountains tomorrow morning. Hi-res guidance, including the HREF, supports a quick round of flurries/light snow from around 5 AM-11 AM MT that will pass through without much fuss. Visibility may drop at times, but this system is moving fairly quickly which will limit the amount of accumulation in any one place.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/

Issued at 250 PM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

A progressive pattern continues this week with a series of shortwave disturbances undercutting a weak ridge running along the spine of the Rockies from the CONUS to British Columbia. The subsident regime beneath the upper level ridge will slowly ratchet temperatures a few degrees above climatology and perhaps nearly 10 to 15 degrees above normal by next weekend. The first of these disturbances, Wednesday afternoon, will bring some light precipitation to the northern mountains. Available moisture will have to traverse the Great Basin and the Intermountain West in order to reach the West Slope. Model ensembles keep much of this moisture to our north, keeping confidence pretty low for meaningful snowfall. Friday, a building ridge along the West Coast will send some moisture across the Dirty Ridge along a jet max that could produce some additional snowfall for the mountains, this time, potentially farther south into the Central Mountains. Model discrepancy creeps in Saturday as the ridge flattens overhead. This could push a more productive regime across the mountains, given the flatter, colder solution from the GFS. This could also push temperatures down a bit from the presently warmer forecast. Deterministic solutions start looking more unsettled again heading into next week.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/

Issued at 1021 AM MST Mon Jan 26 2026

Clear skies and drainage winds will start the forecast with winds turning light/or weaker upvalley through the afternoon. Increasing moisture in the form of high clouds moves in this evening which could create some light flurries and terrain obscuration over the high country. This moisture could lead to some light fog over the colder valleys/basins but confidence is too low to put in the TAFs attm.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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