textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- 3 to 6 inches of additional snow accumulation is expected over the Park Range today and tomorrow. Highest accumulations are most likely near Rabbit Ears Pass where roads may become slick.

- Warming days, cool nights with dry weather persist through the weekend and most of next week for most of the region.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 1248 AM MST Thu Jan 29 2026

Light snow showers began falling over portions of the Park Range and the Upper Yampa River Basin earlier tonight. The Steamboat Springs snow stake camera has seen relatively unimpressive snow rates so far and is sitting near or under an inch of total snowfall. One of the biggest culprits for this has been the unexpectedly warm temperatures there, and as such, snow ratios are likely running much lower than anticipated. QPF has stayed steady, but with cloud cover settling in, overnight temperatures will likely continue to be hampered and the resulting wetter-than-expected snow should keep accumulations on the lighter end for much of the area. Additionally, the NBM is bleak in the potential for the Park Range to exceed 4" through tomorrow afternoon (20-40% chance), but we've opted to keep totals of 3-6" in the latest forecast as some CAM's are hinting at increased snowfall rates, primarily near Rabbit Ears Pass, over the next 2 to 3 hours. So there remains hope that this storm won't fizzle out completely. Roads at pass level are already becoming snow-covered, so with additional accumulations, look for mountain travel to be less-than-ideal with slick roads throughout the night and morning.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1248 AM MST Thu Jan 29 2026

A few weak shortwave troughs embedded in the northwest flow aloft are expected to pass over the region in the next several days. Each wave brings the chance for light snow in the northern mountains, and perhaps portions of the central mountains. The snowfall amounts should generally be on the low side with minimal impacts. Overall high and low temperatures will remain persistent although these waves along with cloud cover could cause slight differences day to day. The models are showing the potential for a rex block with high pressure to our west and low pressure over northern Baja. This would certainly steer any significant low pressure systems away from us.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1035 AM MST Thu Jan 29 2026

Expect mostly VFR conditions with light diurnal winds through the TAF period. The exception will be a few light snow snow showers and low ceilings lingering in the northern and central Colorado mountains for the next few hours with a chance for impacts at KHDN, KASE and KEGE.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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