Deep cold turns unseasonably warm by this weekend

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - We’ll take more edge off of the cold, and then we’ll start warming steadily going into this weekend.

This Weekend’s Weather

Steady warming will bring our temperatures to above-normal territory this weekend. Highs will be in the low-to-mid 40s on Saturday and Sunday. Morning low will be in the 20s. Sun will be dimmed a bit by an increase in clouds, but the clouds aren’t likely to bring any rain or snow with them until Monday. Even over the mountains, we’re likely to stay dry and unseasonably warm this weekend. High temperatures will range from the 30s to near 40 degrees for much of the Ski Country.

Our Next Weather Maker

Our next weather maker is on track to arrive on Monday. A low pressure wave in the upper levels of the atmosphere is showing signs of intensifying in our newest forecast data on Wednesday afternoon. While the chance for rain or snow appears to be increasing for much of Colorado on Monday, it may be that the biggest focus of rain and snow slips just south of our area. We’ll be monitoring this developing storm system for you, and we’ll keep you updated on its progress.

Our Next 24 Hours

This evening will be clear. We’ll cool from near 30 degrees around 6 PM to middle 20s through 10 PM. The rest of tonight will be clear and cold, but we’ll start to take some of the edge off of that deep cold. Low temperatures by morning will be near 16 degrees around Grand Junction, 11 degrees around Montrose, 14 degrees around Delta, and 8 degrees around Cortez. Some colder readings are possible one some of our backyard thermometers in the colder areas. Thursday will be mostly sunny. We’ll start the day with cold teens, and we’ll warm to the mid-to-upper 30s. High temperatures will be near 38 degrees around Grand Junction, 36 degrees around Montrose, 37 degrees around Delta, and 39 degrees around Cortez.

Gaining Sunlight

We gained 43 minutes of sunlight from January 1 through January 31. January 2023 was the seventeenth warmest January since 1893, when we started keeping records in January. February will gain another 57 minutes of daylight by the end of the month.

January 2023 In The Books

The highest temperature of the month was 52 degrees. That was the high temperature on January 10. The lowest temperature of the month was 8 degrees. That was the low temperature on January 31. The average high temperature for the month was 39.4 degrees. That was 1.3 degrees above normal. The average low temperature was 26.0 degrees. That was nearly 9 degrees above normal. The average temperature for the month was 32.7 degrees - 5 degrees above normal. January 2023 ranked 17th warmest in our 130 years of records.

What To Expect From February

Historically, February is a warmer month. In our 130 years of records, a temperature above 60 degrees has happened only once in the month of January. The past three years, February stayed below 60 degrees, but 59 of the past 129 years have brought temperatures in the 60s in February. The average first 60-degree date is February 28. The bottom line is February starts cold, but it is often a month of noticeable warming.

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