Sharp cold slowly eases through this weekend

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Much of last night’s snow is still on the ground - not just on the Western Slope, but all across Colorado. That means we’re on a bed of ice, and the cold that results has been brutal in parts of the state.

Dangerous, Bitter Cold

Tuesday morning started as cold as -41 degrees at Craig, -31 degrees at Meeker, -20 degrees at Kremling, -17 degrees at Steamboat Springs, -12 at Pueblo, and -1 at Denver. Even by Colorado’s standards, that’s brutal. Grand Junction cooled to 8 degrees on Tuesday morning.

More Cold Tonight

With snow on the ground, temperatures will drop hard again tonight. Lows will range from 9 to 15 degrees at the warmest around Grand Junction and the rest of the Grand Valley from Fruita and Mack to Palisade and Clifton. As cold as that is, that’s not the worst cold across the Western Slope. Areas from Montrose and Nucla south to Cortez will chill to single digits ranging from 2 degrees to 8 degrees.

Our Next 24 Hours

This evening will be clear and cold. We’ll cool from middle 20s around 6 PM to lower 20s by 10 PM. The rest of tonight will be mainly clear and unseasonably cold. Low temperatures by morning will be near 9 degrees around Grand Junction, 8 degrees around Montrose, 10 degrees around Delta, and 5 degrees around Cortez. Wednesday will be mostly sunny and unseasonably cold. High temperatures will be near 35 degrees around Grand Junction, 34 degrees around Montrose, 34 degrees around Delta, and 36 degrees around Cortez.

Looking Ahead

High pressure will build into Western Colorado from the west, offering sunshine and slow warming. By this weekend, temperatures will swing above normal for a change. That won’t last long, as long range trends lean in favor of below-normal temperatures for much of the next two weeks.

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