textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Widespread rain and mountain snow through early Monday as a Pacific system works across the Rockies.

- Winter Weather Advisories are in effect from midnight tonight through midnight Sunday night for some mountain areas above 9,000 feet. Travel over mountain passes may become difficult during the nighttime hours.

- The cooler and unsettled weather persists through the work week and possibly into next weekend.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1021 PM MDT Sat Apr 25 2026

WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION THIS WEEKEND:

A trough is presently draped across the northern Rockies and Planes, and with mild moisture flowing through the base of the trough, we are trapped under dense cloud cover and a few accompanying showers across the region. Active conditions developed today as a result, yet the bulk of impactful precipitation is anticipated to arrive later tonight and into the early morning hours tomorrow, lasting through midnight Sunday night. This is thanks to a shortwave traversing through the parent trough, bringing with it bolstered upper-level dynamics and anomalously high moisture (PWAT's could near 90th percentile for this time of year). Temperatures are warmer than normal to begin the storm period though. So, we're looking at a valley rain and mountain snow event with a snow level hovering around 8.5 kft before falling to around 7kft behind the cold front, which looks to pass through Sunday afternoon.

While snowfall is expected to be persistent for all mountain zones until the shortwave exits the area, the earlier portion of the storm (roughly before 6PM Sunday) will favor the San Juans before flow shifts to northwesterly behind the shortwave. At that point, the northern and central Colorado mountains will be favored. 6-12" of snow accumulation are expected over the San Juans, Grand Mesa, Elks, West Elks, and Flat Tops, and thus these ranges are under a winter weather advisory. NBM guidance is becoming less optimistic for the Park Range and eastern Uintas to reach criteria though, and hence they are not included in the advisory. Regardless, we will continue to monitor as the storm approaches for any significant changes that may warrant the zones' inclusion in the advisory.

In addition to the snowy weather, look for gusty winds to develop Sunday afternoon. Areas around the Four Corners will be the favored locations for the strongest gusts, up to 45 mph in some locations. Along and north of I-70, gusts may still reach 30-35 mph with localized stronger gusts possible.

ACTIVE WEATHER BEYOND:

A second, much drier shortwave follows shortly behind the first, arriving near mid-day on Monday, leaving virtually no break from the active weather. This system is trending towards being brief and minimally impactful. However, northern Colorado ranges are likely (60-80% chance) to see additional accumulation of at least a few inches by the end of the day Tuesday. After a brief lull in activity on Wednesday, early indications per ensemble forecasts are that another surge of moisture will rise into the Intermountain West from the south on Thursday. The current indication is that much of this moisture will reside east of the Rockies, though precipitation would still be expected across portions of the west slope barring any significant shifts in model trends. Stay tuned for additional updates over the coming days.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/

Issued at 542 PM MDT Sat Apr 25 2026

Showers will begin to expand and reach the ground through the evening. Expect VFR to continue to prevail at the TAF sites with a few sites reaching ILS conditions toward midnight. Overnight showers will cover most of the area with ILS to IFR conditions developing in light precipitation and lower clouds. As we move through Sunday instability increases introducing the threat of thunderstorms. The heavier precipitation rates could lead to IFR/LIFR conditions for brief periods. Gusty winds near storms and showers are likely tomorrow afternoon as well.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Winter Weather Advisory until midnight MDT Sunday night for COZ009-012-013-019. UT...None.