Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Grand Junction, CO
Issued by NWS Grand Junction, CO
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027 FXUS65 KGJT 072314 AFDGJT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 414 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Unsettled weather continues through the coming work week in the northern Colorado mountains with mostly periods of light snow showers. - A general warming trend is expected, but the snow covered mountains valleys will see cold inversions set up overnight lasting through the days. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 259 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 The weather has become generally quiet across the region while drier air is in place. Increased atmospheric moisture is just beginning to move into the CWA from the northwest. Satellite imagery shows cloud cover moving across the region with this moisture. However, this looks to be a brief, weak push of moisture, with little accompanying forcing. As such, the only really substantial lift will be orographic, as northwesterly flow supports this in the northern mountains. So, some snowfall is expected overnight, with the greatest accumulations occurring in the northern mountains. The Park Range in particular could see 4 to 8 inches of snow, while the rest of the northern mountains, and some parts of the central mountains, will only see a few inches at most. The heaviest snowfall rates will occur between midnight and sunrise, and chances will rapidly decrease after noon. After that, quiet weather returns until overnight Monday into Tuesday, when a much stronger push of moisture from an atmospheric river reaches the northern half of our CWA. There is some uncertainty with overnight lows, as the potential for less cloud cover south of I-70 could allow cooler temperatures in the some of the mountain valleys in this region. However, more cloud cover is expected in the northern half of the CWA, so overnight lows may be warmer in these mountain valleys. Daytime highs will warm by a few degrees tomorrow. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 259 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 On Tuesday the nose of a strong jet streak embedded in the northwest flow aloft will deliver the remnants of an AR that makes landfall in the PacNW. This moisture will result in a prolonged period of precipitation for the northern mountains and perhaps parts of the central mountains. There are some model inconsistencies when it comes to how south the jet and associated moisture will track. Therefore confidence is low when it comes to amounts and locations. One thing that is more certain is that this air mass will be warm with snow levels rising to around 7.5-8.5 kft through most of the event, which means rain or a mix for a majority of the valleys. The plume of mositure arrives late Tuesday and does not move out until Friday. The latest QPF continues to highlight over an inch of QPF for the Park Range with much less values in surrounding ranges. Again the forecast is subject to change based on how the moisture plume wavers north and south. Temperatures remain mild under the AR regime so expect highs to reach 10-20 degrees above normal by the end of the week, which in fact is close to record values. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 412 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 Mid level clouds are filtering in across the region this afternoon. These ceilings will lower through the night as a system moves across the northern portions of the area. Most terminals will remain well above breakpoints. KASE, KEGE, KRIL, and KHDN will see periods of ceilings below breakpoints. Some light snow showers will be possible tonight, mainly between 06z and 12z, for KHDN. Lesser chances exist for KEGE and KASE. Conditions will improve after 12z. Winds will be light and variable. VFR conditions will prevail, although drops to MVFR/IFR will be possible for terminals mentioned above. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...GF LONG TERM...KJS AVIATION...TGJT