textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Critical fire weather conditions are expected to continue through Friday.

- The holiday weekend will see lighter winds and near triple- digit heat in the desert valleys.

- Hot and dry conditions will continue into next week, with little chances of wetting rain.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 929 PM MDT Wed Jul 1 2026

OVERVIEW:

The weather pattern continues to be dominated by troughing to the west and ridging to the east maintaining the very dry southwesterly flow across eastern Utah and Western Colorado. High pressure over the Southeastern States builds to the west through the rest of the work week and into the weekend shifting the flow aloft to a more zonal pattern with the stronger winds pushed to the north out of the region.

THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK:

Look for a slight uptick in the winds tomorrow with southwest winds gusting 15-25 mph through the lower valleys and 25-30 mph over the higher terrain. Red Flag Warnings are in effect across southwestern Colorado to the northeast into the valleys of the Colorado headwaters and in southeastern Utah from noon to 8 PM. Winds taper a bit going into Friday as the high pressure builds into the Desert Southwest. Though critical fire weather is likely with the extremely dry airmass in place, there is uncertainty in the location and extent of the conditions. Hence, not issuing any products for Friday at this time. Temperatures tomorrow will be near normal to a little below normal, warming to near normal Friday.

THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND BEYOND:

Expect mostly clear skies and light breezes through the weekend into next week with temperatures hitting five degrees above normal Sunday. The lower desert valleys will be seeing triple digits Sunday with the Grand Valley hitting triple digits by mid next week. The bottom line for the extended forecast is hot and dry.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1140 PM MDT Wed Jul 1 2026

Tonight winds will be light and terrain driven. Wildfire smoke will continue to slosh around the region. The greatest impacts are expected at KMTJ, where brief drops to MVFR conditions are possible from reduced visibility. Gusty winds return tomorrow afternoon.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1237 PM MDT Wed Jul 1 2026

Red Flag conditions are expected through Friday before high pressure builds into the Desert Southwest this weekend. Red Flag Warnings will be in effect from noon until 8 PM tomorrow for much of southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. Fire weather conditions appear to be more marginal Friday as compared to previous days and due to the uncertainty, have held off issuing any products for Friday until we see tomorrow's package of models.

A series of weaker upper level disturbances in the flow could give way to dry thunderstorms across northeast UT and northwest CO this week. While this remains an isolated chance, the persistent critical fire weather pattern will pose a threat to lightning starts. Wetting rain remains highly unlikely for this week and for the next week as we hold onto to the dry conditions for the foreseeable future.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Thursday for COZ205-207- 290>294. UT...Red Flag Warning from noon to 8 PM MDT Thursday for UTZ491.