Colorado River Headwaters (COZ205) - Fire Weather Forecast

COZ205-211045-
COZ205-211045-
Colorado River Headwaters-
1231 PM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

Fire Weather Planning Forecast for Wrn Colorado and Ern Utah
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO
1231 PM MDT Fri Mar 20 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM UNTIL 8 PM MDT SATURDAY
FOR GUSTY WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS FOR COLORADO FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 200 BELOW 8000 FEET, 201 BELOW 9000 FEET AND 202
BELOW 8000 FEET... 

.DISCUSSION...Hot and dry conditions are expected to persist over
the next several days. On Saturday, fire weather concerns look to
be the most critical due to increased afternoon wind gusts. Areas
north of I-70 could see gusts exceeding 40 mph Saturday 
afternoon, and relative humidity is expected to drop below 10 
percent across the entire region. Red Flag Warnings have been 
issued for northwest Colorado on Saturday from 11 AM to 8 PM where
fuels have been deemed critical.

...GUSTY ERRATIC WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED NEAR ANY SHOWERS
OR THUNDERSTORMS...
...THE SMOKE DATA IS CALCULATED FROM AN AVERAGE AT 6000 FEET MSL...


.TONIGHT...
Sky/weather.........Clear (0-10%). 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Min temperature.....37-47 F. 
Max humidity........34-44%. 
20-foot winds.......Upslope/upvalley 4 to 8 mph becoming 
                    downslope/downvalley 3 to 6 mph by sunset.
CWR.................0 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 20 to 25 mph increasing to 20 to 30 mph 
                    after midnight. 
Mixing Height.......5500 ft AGL until 1900, then 2000 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....Southwest 5 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor. 

.SATURDAY...
Sky/weather.........Mostly sunny (10-20%). 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Max temperature.....67-77 F. 
Min humidity........9-14%. 
20-foot winds.......Downslope/downvalley winds 4 to 8 mph becoming 
                    west 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 40 mph in the 
                    afternoon. 
CWR.................0 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 25 to 35 mph increasing to 30 to 40 mph in 
                    the afternoon. 
Mixing Height.......2500 ft AGL until 1100, then 9000 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....Southwest 5 to 10 mph until 1200, then west 20 
                    to 30 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor until 0900. Excellent after 1500. 

.SATURDAY NIGHT...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (40-50%). 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Min temperature.....41-51 F. 
Max humidity........36-46%. 
20-foot winds.......Downslope/downvalley winds 3 to 6 mph. 
                    Localized gusts up to 35 mph in the evening. 
CWR.................0 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 30 to 40 mph decreasing to 25 to 35 mph 
                    after midnight. 
Mixing Height.......6500 ft AGL until 1900, then 2500 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....West 5 to 10 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Fair until 2100, then poor. 

.SUNDAY...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (40-50%). Isolated showers after 
                    1200. 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Max temperature.....59-69 F. 
Min humidity........15-25%. 
20-foot winds.......Upslope/upvalley winds 4 to 8 mph. Localized 
                    gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. 
CWR.................10 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 20 to 25 mph. 
Mixing Height.......3000 ft AGL until 1100, then 8500 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....West 5 to 10 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor until 0900. Good after 1200. 

.FORECAST FOR DAY 3 THROUGH 7...
.MONDAY...Partly cloudy. Isolated showers. Lows 32-42. Highs
60-70. Winds less than 15 mph. 
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy. Lows 36-46. Highs 61-71. Winds less
than 15 mph. 
.WEDNESDAY...Mostly clear. Lows 36-46. Highs 65-75. Winds less
than 15 mph. 
.THURSDAY...Mostly clear. Lows 36-46. Highs 60-70. 
.FRIDAY...Mostly clear. Lows 30-40. Highs 56-66.