Colorado to return to hot, dry weather this week as monsoonal storms drop off

Hot, dry weather is expected to return to the Colorado Rocky Mountains this week following a cooler stretch, which saw frequent afternoon thunderstorms and low overnight temperatures.

National Weather Service forecaster Jennifer Stark said, “Saturday might be our last hope of a shower or thunderstorm” in the mountains for at least a week. Temperatures are expected to rise into Sunday and remain high through the week, she said.

“I hate to tell you this, but we are warming back up for the weekend and into next week,” Stark said. “It’s going to be hot again and a little drier with less chance of thunderstorms. So that always gets us thinking about fire weather concerns.”

She said temperatures in mountain communities from Breckenridge and Aspen are expected to be in the upper-70s to mid-80s starting Sunday and continuing throughout most of the week. In the Glenwood Springs area, high temperatures are expected to peak just below 100 degrees most days next week.

Despite the warmer daytime temperatures this week, the nights could remain cooler in many places thanks to Colorado’s dry air, which allows the heat to radiate back into space during the night, she said. 

While some higher elevation areas saw temperatures in the high-30s this past week, nighttime lows are forecasted to be in the mid-40s next week in the mountains. The Glenwood Springs area could see overnight temperatures as low as 60 degrees.

While late July and early August are typically peak times for the North American monsoon, Stark said the state has seen only sporadic monsoonal activity and rainfall so far this year. While the mountains had “some showers” the past week, the storms had “limited amounts of moisture” and significant storm activity is unlikely over the next week.

“Sometimes the monsoon is really robust, and we have really good rainfall with it. And, sometimes, it’s here and there,” she said. “It’s just very variable.”

Nearly all of Western Colorado is experiencing drought conditions, ranging from moderate drought to extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

Stage 1 fire restrictions, which ban campfires anywhere except within developed campgrounds, among other rules, are in place throughout the mountains, including in Summit, Grand, Eagle, Pitkin, and Garfield counties.

“It might be wise to advise folks out and about this weekend to use caution with anything that can start a fire,” Stark said. “While we might not have red flag warnings or fire weather watches out yet, it’s going to be hotter.”