After weeks of heat and parched conditions, Southwest Colorado can expect to see isolated rain showers for a good portion of the coming week.
Dennis Phillips, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said a chance of isolated thunderstorms and rain showers will be present Sunday and for at least the next six days.
The chance of rain is expected to peak Tuesday at 50% in Durango with a strong chance of showers through Friday.
“The storms are part monsoonal, but there are multiple source of moisture that are coming together including a tropical storm that came on shore in California late last week. Each day, the chance of rain will get a little better,” he said.
The chance of rain Sunday night is 20% in Durango.
Temperatures, which have been hovering near record levels across the Four Corners, should also be moderate – with highs in Durango dropping to the high 80s and highs in Cortez dropping to the low 90s by mid-week.
Rainfall amounts will vary with the isolated thunderstorms but are likely to be measured in tenths of an inch. Isolated storms could leave a quarter of an inch beginning Tuesday, Phillips said.
Smoke from Western Slope fires also might clear a bit as the storms carry most smoke east, he said.
More likely though, smoke from the fires will decrease because rain over the burn areas for both the Pine Gulch Fire and the Grizzly Creek Fire will decrease their intensity, he said.
The Pine Gulch Fire, which started July 31, is burning 18 miles north of Grand Junction, and the Grizzly Creek Fire, which started Aug. 10, is burning in Glenwood Canyon, east of Glenwood Springs.
On Sunday morning, the Pine Gulch Fire, burning about 18 miles north of Grand Junction, was listed at 129,715 acres and 19% contained, according to information provided by InciWeb, an interagency database providing information about wildfires across the country.
The Grizzly Creek Fire, burning just east of Glenwood Springs in Glenwood Canyon, has closed Interstate 70. The Colorado Department of Transportation expected I-70 to remain closed for an extended time with no estimated time for reopening.
On Sunday morning, the fire was listed at 30,362 acres and was listed at 30% containment, according to InciWeb.
Phillips added some smoke in the region is coming from fires burning as far away as California, and smoke from those fires will continue to contribute to hazy skies in the Four Corners.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
