FIRST ALERT | Moderate & High Wildfire Danger with Lighter Winds & Cooler Temperatures
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Critical fire weather conditions diminish slightly today due to lighter winds, however fire weather watches are issued for the majority of western Colorado Friday.
Red Flag Warning
Red flag warnings go in effect from 10 AM until 8 PM this evening for northeastern Delta county, Gunnison County, Western San Miguel County, western Dolores County, Montezuma County, La Plata County, Archuleta county, and Hinsdale County. Weather conditions are favorable for fires to start and spread out of control with Westerly winds 10 to 20 mph with gossip to 35 mph, low relative, humidity, with dry fuels make fires that catch hard to contain and will spread quickly.
Sunny & Slightly Cooler Today
Sunny skies over western slope this Thursday with cooler temperatures. UV index of 10 to 11 meaning a 10 to 15 minute sunburn time, please wear sunscreen or limit your skin exposure to the sun today. Wind gusts will range from 15 to 25 mph with isolated gusts up to 35 mph. Daytime high temperatures will be lower today ranging from 84° in Montrose, 85° in Grand Junction, 87° in Delta, and 88° in Cortez. Overnight to morning low temperatures will rain from 49° in Cortez, 50° in Montrose, 52° in Delta, and 54° in Grand Junction.
Fire Weather Watch
Fire weather watch goes into effect Friday morning through Friday evening due to gusty winds, low relative, humidity and dry fuels. The majority of western slope is under this fire weather watch spanning all regions west of the Medicine Bow Mountains, Front Range, all the way down to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The forecasted weather is favorable for fires to start and spread out of control with winds ranging from 25 to 35 mph.
Friday Forecast
Sunny skies over Western slope this Friday with warmer daytime temperatures. Wind gusts will range from 25 to 35 mph with isolated gusts up to 40 mph especially over higher terrains. Daytime high temperatures will range from 93° in Cortez and Montrose, 96° in Grand Junction, and 97° in Delta. Overnight to morning low temperatures will range from 53° in Cortez, 57° in Montrose, 58° in Delta, and 61° in Grand Junction.
Partly Cloudy Weekend Ahead
We are expecting partly cloudy skies for both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Wind gusts will vary from 15 to 30 mph with some localized areas seeing wind gusts up to 35 to 40 mph on Sunday. Isolated rain shower chances and thunderstorm chances on Sunday primarily. Forecast models are expecting most of these rain showers to focus on the higher elevation however, as we cool into the later hours of the day, the probability of showers and rain reaching the valleys increases. Saturday’s daytime high temperatures will range from low to high 90s, Sundays daytime. High temperatures will range from low to mid 90s.
Next Week Outlook
Next week we are forecasting sunny skies for the majority of western slope within the first half of the week. Daytime high temperatures will progressively increase starting in high 80s and low 90s Monday, increasing towards mid to high 90s with the potential of 100° by Wednesday and Thursday.
