Western Colorado Shouldn’t Get Its Hopes Up for Summer Moisture

Take a look at the dry, hot weather happening right now in Grand Junction and Western Colorado. Go ahead and get used to it. More than likely, this is what the region can expect for the rest of the summer.

The US National Weather Service Grand Junction Colorado posted on Facebook last Tuesday, "If you are hoping for moisture, we have some not so good news for you." It appears the hot and dry pattern currently experienced in the Grand Junction area will likely dominate the region for much of the summer and maybe into fall.

As if the year 2020 couldn't get any better. According to the NWS, the most recent outlook from the Climate Prediction Center leans towards above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the months of July, August, September, and oh goody, maybe even October and November.

Does this mean we are going to see little to no moisture? Not necessarily. According to the NWS, what this really indicates is a lack of confidence we'll see a prolonged moisture increase in the near future.

I, for one, am a little worried. Having lived in Grand Junction for 50 years, I've been through a few dry summers. Do you remember a few years ago when you could just about walk across the Colorado River without getting your feet wet?

There is, however, the other possibility. Looking back to the weekend of June 29, the National Weather Service predicted hot temperatures and no rain. That very day it rained so hard at my house in Grand Junction it knocked the power out and flooded my yard. The rainfall was reminiscent of something I experienced once when visiting New Orleans. The rain wasn't falling down, it was falling horizontally. I'm a huge fan of meteorologists and respect the work they do. However, there are occasions when predictions are a little off.

Depending on which source you go with, Grand Junction experiences its heaviest rainfall in September. Perhaps we'll get a little break. I certainly hope so, because my yard is starting to look like garbage.

For the remainder of the week, it appears we can expect precisely what was mentioned in the Facebook post - dry and hot with temperatures between 100 and 102.

Stay cool as best you can. Stay hydrated. We've been through many a year like this. Well, not exactly like this, not when looking at 2020 as a whole. Weather-wise, though, we've been through years like this. Like everything else happening now, we'll get through it.

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