COZ205-211900-
COZ205-211900-
Colorado River Headwaters-
853 PM MDT Wed May 20 2026

Fire Weather Planning Forecast for Wrn Colorado and Ern Utah
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO
853 PM MDT Wed May 20 2026

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM UNTIL 7 PM MDT THURSDAY
FOR GUSTY WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS FOR COLORADO FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 290, AS WELL AS UTAH FIRE WEATHER ZONE 490... 

.DISCUSSION...A disturbance will bring greater chances of wetting rain 
and thunderstorms to northwest CO and northeast UT tomorrow spreading
into central areas later in the day. Critical fire weather 
conditions will occur in UT zone 490 and CO zone 290. Red Flag 
Warnings have been issued in those zones, with localized critical 
fire weather conditions elsewhere. Dry and warmer weather returns 
this weekend.

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


.REST OF TONIGHT...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (30-40%). 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Min temperature.....28-38 F. 
Max humidity........57-67%. 
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. 
Mixing Height.......1000 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....Northwest 5 mph until 2400, then southeast. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor. 

.THURSDAY...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (40-50%). Isolated showers and 
                    thunderstorms after 1200. 
Chc of lightning....20 percent. 
Max temperature.....56-66 F. 
Min humidity........21-31%. 
20-foot winds.......Downslope/downvalley winds 4 to 8 mph becoming 
                    west 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 35 mph in the 
                    afternoon. 
CWR.................10 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 20 to 30 mph increasing to southwest 25 to 
                    35 mph in the afternoon. 
Mixing Height.......1500 ft AGL until 0900, then 10500 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....Southwest 10 to 15 mph until 1200, then west 20 
                    to 30 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor until 0900. Excellent after 1200. 

.THURSDAY NIGHT...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (40-50%). Scattered showers and 
                    isolated thunderstorms until 2400, isolated 
                    showers after 2400. 
Chc of lightning....20 percent. 
Min temperature.....26-36 F. 
Max humidity........76-91%. 
20-foot winds.......Downslope/downvalley winds 3 to 6 mph. 
                    Localized gusts up to 30 mph in the evening. 
CWR.................40 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 30 to 40 mph. 
Mixing Height.......5000 ft AGL until 2100, then 1000 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....West 10 to 15 mph until 2400, then 5 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Good until 2100, then poor. 

.FRIDAY...
Sky/weather.........Partly cloudy (40-50%) until 1200, then mostly 
                    cloudy (70-80%). 
Chc of lightning....0 percent. 
Max temperature.....54-64 F. 
Min humidity........21-31%. 
20-foot winds.......Upslope/upvalley winds 4 to 8 mph. Localized 
                    gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. 
CWR.................0 percent. 
15K Ft MSL Winds....West 20 to 30 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph in 
                    the afternoon. 
Mixing Height.......7500 ft AGL. 
Transport Winds.....West 5 mph until 1200, then 10 to 15 mph. 
Smoke dispersal.....Poor until 0900. Good after 1200. 

.FORECAST FOR DAY 3 THROUGH 7...
.SATURDAY...Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms.
Lows 30-40. Highs 59-69. Winds less than 15 mph. 
.SUNDAY...Mostly clear. Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Lows
32-42. Highs 67-77. Winds less than 15 mph. 
.MEMORIAL DAY...Mostly clear. Isolated showers and thunderstorms.
Lows 36-46. Highs 69-79. Winds less than 15 mph. 
.TUESDAY...Partly cloudy. Numerous showers and scattered
thunderstorms. Lows 38-48. Highs 61-71. 
.WEDNESDAY...Partly cloudy. Scattered showers and isolated
thunderstorms. Lows 36-46. Highs 63-73.