textproduct: Grand Junction

KEY MESSAGES

- Warm and dry conditions are here to stay. Temperatures will begin to surge well above normal into next week, approaching record values by Tuesday.

- Gusty winds, low relative humidities, and critical fuels have prompted the issuance of a Red Flag Warning for far northwest Colorado Saturday afternoon.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 944 PM MDT Fri May 8 2026

HOT, BREEZY, AND MOSTLY DRY INTO NEXT WEEK:

This weekend, dry, northwesterly flow will begin to dominate, keeping conditions quiet across the vast majority of the region. Saturday will be a rinse and repeat of Friday with highs 10-15 degrees above normal, and gusty winds into the afternoon hours. Some fire weather concerns do exist Saturday, refer to the fire weather section for more information on that. Isolated showers/storms cannot be ruled out over the southern mountains on Saturday afternoon (10-20% chance), but measurable precipitation looks hard to come by.

As we move away from Saturday, an amplified upper-level ridge begins to dominate the western CONUS, which will persist most, if not all of next week. The most notable part of this pattern will be hot and dry conditions. Throughout the week, highs will be 10+ degrees above normal region wide, with Monday through Wednesday potentially exceeding 20 degrees above normal in some places. We could see a new daily record highs set during this stretch.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 517 AM MDT Sat May 9 2026

Winds will remain generally light and terrain driven through 18z, then become westerly to northwesterly, gusting 15-25 knots. Strongest winds are expected north of I-70. Winds will gradually diminish after 03z this evening. Passing high clouds will continue through the period, remaining well above breakpoints. VFR conditions will prevail.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 944 PM MDT Fri May 8 2026

Tomorrow afternoon, wind gusts up to 35 mph and relative humidity values as low as 11-16% will combine to create critical fire weather conditions in far northwest Colorado, where fuels are also deemed critical. As a result, a Red Flag Warning from 2-8 PM.

Hot, dry, and windy conditions will prevail into next week, with temperatures surging well above average.

GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

CO...Red Flag Warning from 2 PM this afternoon to 8 PM MDT this evening for COZ200. UT...None.