Cold starts relaxing this weekend, but warming will be limited

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Cold will last through Saturday night and Sunday morning before warmer changes arrive. The warmer changes won’t be warm - just warmer than we’ve been.

A Flurry Overnight?

A disturbance sliding from north to south across Colorado tonight and Friday morning will bring an increase in clouds to us. Snow will fly over the mountains. The wind will become more shifty, and at times it may blow up along the mountain slows. That upslope wind can favor a few snow flurries overnight through early Friday morning. Accumulation, if any, will be light, and most of us probably won’t get a single snow flake.

Our Next 24 Hours

This evening will be cold beneath increasing clouds. We’ll cool from mid-30s at 6 PM to lower 30s by 8 PM. Sunset is at 5:00 PM. Last light is at 5:27 PM. The rest of tonight will be cloudy. A weak disturbance will pass, and the wind will become shifty and variable. If that shifty wind can blow up along the mountain slopes, it’s possible for a few flurries to form. Low temperatures by morning will be near 21 degrees around Grand Junction, 18 degrees around Montrose, 18 degrees around Delta, and 15 degrees around Cortez. Friday will start cloudy with a chance for a brief snow flurry. Clouds will clear, and the sun will brighten the afternoon. High temperatures will be near 38 degrees around Grand Junction, 38 degrees around Montrose, 37 degrees around Delta, and 43 degrees around Cortez.

Tracking Changes

A series of disturbances over the Pacific Ocean will be blocked and pushed to the north of us by high pressure over the Pacific Northwest. But each of these disturbances will weaken the high pressure little by little. That high pressure has kept us locked in a cold and dry north-to-south wind flow all week long. That north-to-south wind flow will finally turn and become more west-to-east. A wind from the west will blow from the Pacific Ocean. It will be warmer and more humid. Temperatures will finally start to climb, but we’ll still be chilly. Still, a 5-10 degree climb in temperatures is enough to take some of the edge off of the cold.

Our Next Weather Maker

A disturbance from the Pacific will cruise in from the west around Wednesday of next week. There is some potential that this disturbance could finally bring us moisture in the form of rain or snow, but the chance appears to be diminishing with each update from our forecast data. We may not miss out completely on the moisture, but the strongest part of that storm system may pass well north of us.

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