textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Gusty winds of 25-35 mph are be possible most afternoons through the weekend, with gusts to 45 mph possible for areas along and north of I-70 today.

- Dry surface conditions, critical fuels, and gusty winds are producing critical fire weather conditions in northwest Colorado. Red Flag Warnings are in effect.

- Widespread rain and mountain snow returns Saturday night through Sunday. Cooler and unsettled weather continues through the work week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 119 PM MDT Fri Apr 24 2026

Winds are picking up across the region as the stronger winds start mixing down with the diurnal heating. Look for the stronger winds gusting 30 to 45 mph the northern valleys and 20 to 35 mph through the central and southern valleys. The dry airmass in place combined with the winds are producing widespread critical fire weather conditions cross eastern Utah and Western Colorado with a Red Flag Warning (RFW) for northwestern Colorado where the heavy fuels are critically dry in place through 9 PM this evening. Though you may not be in an area with the RFW, you will still want to exercise extra care with any ignition sources, such as campfires, agricultural burning, recreational vehicles or dragging chains as any fire start can rapidly spread in these winds. Winds will taper off through the evening and overnight, picking up again tomorrow, but the winds up north won't be as strong. Temperatures will run near normal today and tomorrow.

COOL, WET PATTERN SUNDAY ONWARD:

Saturday will see the winds turn more southwesterly to start pumping moist Pacific air into the region. We'll see increasing clouds through the afternoon with showers moving in from the west through the evening and overnight. By Sunday morning rain will be widespread across the region with snow above about 9000 feet. This system should bring about a quarter inch of rain through the lower valleys with less in some areas and more in other areas. The mountains will see more precip, especially on the southern and western slopes. Sunday afternoon will see more convective conditions with the dynamics of the left exit region of the jet passing overhead. Look for widely scattered thunderstorms developing through the late morning and afternoon with some possibly producing brief periods of strong gusty winds and heavy rain. It's still a little early to tell for sure how strong these storms will be so stay tuned for updates. It seems a bit early in the season for this, but any time there is lightning, seek shelter; when thunder roars, go indoors. With the showers and heavy cloud cover, temperatures Sunday will run five to ten degrees below normal.

Unsettled weather continues through the coming work week with passing disturbances almost daily. Temperatures will gradually warm to near normal by mid week where they continue through Friday. Models are hinting at another storm system possible for next weekend. Stay tuned to find out.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 529 PM MDT Fri Apr 24 2026

Mid and high level clouds will transverse the area over the next 24 hours with virga or very light showers possible at times. This showers will be responsible for bringing down some stronger wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph through 04z this evening and again during the peak heating hours of Saturday..though more in the 25 to 35 mph range. Overall VFR is expected to prevail at all sites through this forecast period.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1044 PM MDT Thu Apr 23 2026

Dry and breezy conditions continue across eastern Utah and Western Colorado. Winds are gusting 25-35 mph across the region and 45 mph along and north of I-70. Fuels remain critical across northwest Colorado. Therefore, with the combination of winds, low humidity, and critical fuels, Red Flag Warnings are in effect for Colorado Fire Weather Zones 201 and 202 from noon through 9 PM. Increasing moisture and cooler temperatures Saturday onward will limit critical fire weather potential.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ200-202. UT...None.