textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Critical fire weather conditions will be around for most of the week. Red Flag Warnings are in effect for Tuesday and Fire Weather Watches are in effect for Wednesday.

- Gusts of 25-35 mph are possible each afternoon, with gusts up to 45 mph possible Wednesday.

- Triple digit heat is possible for the desert valleys Wednesday through late week. Daytime highs will be running 10-15 degrees above normal nearly everywhere during this time period.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1005 PM MDT Mon Jun 15 2026

HOT, DRY, WINDY WEEK AHEAD:

The current upper level setup is characterized by troughing along the eastern two-thirds of the country, with ridging building along the West Coast. The Intermountain West finds itself sandwiched between the two features for a majority of the week. Northwesterly flow aloft appears to dominate, leading to the presence of a hot and dry airmass. Minimum daytime humidities are expected to be in the teens to single digits for all but the highest elevations for the majority of the week. Mostly sunny skies will be around, giving way to favorable conditions for mixing of upper level winds down to the surface. Gusts of 25-35 mph are expected each afternoon. Gusts appear to peak on Wednesday as a result of a tightening pressure gradient aloft and passing waves to our north. This will give way to gusts in the 35-45 mph range Wednesday. Hence, critical fire weather conditions will become widespread Tuesday and peak in coverage by Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings are in effect for Tuesday and Fire Weather Watches are in effect for Wednesday. See the Fire Weather discussion for more information on that.

As we transition to the latter half of the week, critical fire weather conditions remain possible, but will likely be focused along the Divide. In terms of temperatures throughout the week, Tuesday will remain about 5 degrees above normal, before daytime highs surge to 10-15 degrees above normal mid-late week. This leads to the potential for triple digit heat across the desert valleys, including the Grand Valley. If recreating outdoors, stay hydrated and take frequent breaks in the shade. Guidance suggests the ridge breaks down by the weekend, ushering in a potential return to slightly cooler conditions with mountain showers and thunderstorms.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1108 AM MDT Tue Jun 16 2026

VFR conditions are expected through the taf period. Winds gusts of 25-35 mph will be common at most sites this afternoon and early evening.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 1005 PM MDT Mon Jun 15 2026

Critical fire weather conditions are expected through at least Wednesday. The coverage becomes widespread Tuesday and peaks by Wednesday. Afternoon gusts Tuesday are expected to fall within the 25-35 mph, whereas Wednesday will see gusts within the 35-45mph range, with locally higher gusts possible. Minimum relative humidities are also expected to be in the teens to single digits for most areas. Red Flag Warnings are in effect Tuesday for a majority of eastern Utah and western Colorado (1PM-9PM). Fire Weather Watches are also in effect Wednesday for nearly all our fire zones with the exception of CO zones 201 and 295 and UT zone 485. It is possible for critical fire weather conditions to continue each day through the weekend, but will not be as widespread as previous days. Some limited moisture entering the area Friday, specifically around the southern mountains, will lead to the decreased coverage of critical fire weather conditons.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for COZ200-202- 203-205-207-290-292>294. Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for COZ200-202-203-205-207-290>294. UT...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for UTZ486-487- 490-491. Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for UTZ486-487-490-491.