textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Snow moves out this evening for most with light snow lingering over the Park Range through the overnight hours.

- Valley fog is anticipated late tonight through Saturday morning and will likely be dense at times. Watch out for rapidly changing visibilities on area roadways!

- Unsettled weather returns early next week. Unseasonably warm temperatures will continue to limit snowfall totals until colder air arrives later in the week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 247 PM MST Fri Jan 2 2026

Mountain snow will continue to wind down as the day progresses with most area roads presenting as wet this afternoon. Slippery stretches may develop on area roadways tonight as temperatures dip below freezing, especially in shaded canyons and over mountain passes.

The Park Range will continue to see light snow overnight as northwest flow provides favorable orographic lift. Elsewhere, valley fog will be the main concern as surface-level moisture lingers in the wake of today's low pressure system. Freezing fog might also lead to slick travel on roadways that untreated and cool enough, but this is a low probability outcome given unseasonably warm ground temperatures in most valleys.

High pressure builds in tomorrow bringing more of the unseasonably warm conditions we've become accustomed to this winter. Moisture gets trapped under the high so clouds will be slow to clear, except in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado where there will be more dry air to work with. Overall, a warmer and drier weekend is on deck.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 247 PM MST Fri Jan 2 2026

Models are in good agreement through the coming week with the weather pattern dominated by troughing off the West Coast keeping over eastern Utah and Western Colorado under a southwesterly flow aloft. Satellite imagery shows plenty of subtropical moisture available to the southwest over the Eastern Pacific to advect north. This warm moist flow will feed light rain and high elevation snow across the region with the snow level generally above 7,000 ft through mid week. The dynamics of a shortwave moving through the longwave Monday night into Tuesday will bring heavier snow to the Park and Gore Ranges while orographics will be the primary driver farther south. Expect minor impacts to the mountain roads and higher passes with this system. Look for temperatures to stay 10-15 degrees above the seasonal normal with Sunday being the warmest day. With the moist flow, skies will be partly sunny to mostly cloudy through the period.

For the latter half of the week, models want to shift the longwave pattern to the east over the region bringing a shot of continental cold air out of Canada dropping temperatures to the more normal range. With the moisture in place across the region, this could spell a more significant snow storm for the region Thursday and Friday. At this point, confidence is low for the late week storm, but you'll want to stay tuned for updates on this system going into next week.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 438 PM MST Fri Jan 2 2026

Low clouds are hanging in the valleys from KGJT to KMTJ and to the northeast with conditions below ILS breakpoints, but these clouds will scatter out southwest to northeast between 02Z and about 06Z. Look for valley fog developing after 06Z that may impact most TAF sites. Included fog and vicinity fog in many of the TAF where confidence is higher. Otherwise expect light winds through the period with widespread VFR after about 16Z.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST this afternoon for COZ004-009-010-012-013-017>019. UT...None.