Rain, mountain snow, and much cooler weather arrive this weekend

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Some much-needed moisture and a cooler reality check are heading our way for the end of this week. This week will be cooler than last week but still unseasonably warm until then.

Tracking Two Storm Systems

An upper level low pressure circulation is swirling off the coast of Southern California. It doesn’t have a lot of get up and go this week, but the southwesterly flow ahead of it will send more clouds in our direction. Those clouds may thicken enough to provide a few showers on Tuesday afternoon and again on Wednesday. Most areas will not get any rain at all, and the showers will favor the mountains over the valleys.

The Second Storm System

A stronger storm system south of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands is heading in our direction, too. It will give a nudge to the low pressure off of Southern California, and the two systems will merge Wednesday night and Thursday before heading toward us. Some showers becoming possible Thursday afternoon, then rain will increase Thursday night and fall on and off throughout Friday, Friday night, and the first half of Saturday. Snow will fall on the mountains. We may get just cold enough early Saturday morning for our rain to change to a wet, slushy snow in the valleys. We will not, however, get cold enough for the snow to accumulate and last. Even if there’s some accumulation on the grassy surfaces, it will melt quickly on Saturday afternoon when the sun peeks from behind the clouds.

We’re Turning Cooler

We’ll turn cooler and more seasonable with the rain and immediately following its exit this weekend. We’ll keep 70s around for highs through Thursday. Wednesday could even warm into the lower 80s in a few areas, including Grand Junction. We’ll cool into the 60s for highs on Friday. Lows will drop into the 30s. Saturday will warm into the 50s and 60s, then slow warming brings back 60s on Sunday and then 60s to lower 70s on Monday. We won’t be unusually cold. In fact, we’ll be seasonable. Still, the sharp temperature drop may be a bit of a shock after the warmth we’ve experienced recently.

Our Next 24 Hours

This evening will be clear and mild. We’ll cool from upper 60s and lower 70s at 6 PM to low-to-mid 60s at 8 PM, then to low-to-mid 50s at 10 PM. The rest of tonight will be mostly clear. Low temperatures by morning will be near 43 degrees around Grand Junction, 38 degrees around Montrose, 39 degrees around Delta, 35 degrees around Cortez, and 41 degrees around Moab. Tuesday will start with sunshine, but we’ll cloud up in the afternoon. A few showers are possible, especially over the mountains. We’ll warm from upper 30s and lower 40s at 7 AM to mid-to-upper 60s at noon, then to low-to-mid 70s at 3 PM. High temperatures will be near 76 degrees around Grand Junction, 70 degrees around Montrose, 77 degrees around Delta, 71 degrees around Cortez, and 74 degrees around Moab.