Residents and visitors celebrating Independence Day in La Plata County and surrounding areas can expect warm, dry weather to through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
Temperatures on Friday will be a few degrees below average, with highs in the mid-80s. But the heat will build steadily, reaching the 90s by Sunday, said Kris Sanders, lead meteorologist with the NWS.
The U.S. Highway 160 corridor is expected to stay mostly dry on Friday, though there’s a slight chance of afternoon showers at higher elevations in San Juan County and around Wolf Creek and Coal Bank passes, Sanders said.
Moisture from the past several days – pulled in by clockwise airflow around a high-pressure system – will linger Friday but taper off through the weekend, leading to increasingly dry conditions.
While red-flag wind conditions are not expected, gusts of 20 to 40 mph may accompany isolated afternoon storms in the high country, Sanders added
“We’re just not seeing the widespread gusty winds that would produce red-flag conditions,” Sanders said. “But it is going to be dry, so you might get fire ignitions – even if they don’t spread rapidly.”
He urged caution with fireworks, campfires and trailer chains that can spark fires. “The message is: Just be careful,” Sanders said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
