GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) – Our storms have dissipated and the winds will quickly diminish tonight. It will be cooler now… for a while.

Partial lunar eclipse Tuesday evening

We’re cleaning up just in time for a celestial treat! A partial lunar eclipse will coincide with tonight’s full moon. Don’t get too excited about this one. Only about 8% of the moon will be covered by Earth’s shadow. It’s happening, but it’s a “barely there eclipse.” The partial eclipse begins at 8:12 p.m. Maximum eclipse occurs at 8:44 p.m. The eclipse ends at 9:15 p.m. It’s brief and not much to it, but it’s happening.

Wind is decreasing rapidly

The winds are a bit more reluctant to let up after this morning’s rain has cleared our area. Wind gusts this afternoon were in the 35-45 mph range. A few gusts even exceeded 50 mph – specifically at Meeker and Rangely, which reported gusts of 59 mph and 53 mph respectively. Some sustained gusts of 20-25 mph are possible until around 7 p.m., but the winds will quickly taper off around 7 p.m.

Short cooling down

Tonight and Wednesday will see some cooling. Grand Junction warmed to the low 80s Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, cooler mid to upper 70s are expected. However, that cooling will be short-lived and the low 80s will return on Thursday and Friday ahead of another cold front. That next cold front will move through western Colorado Friday night, bringing with it some cooler 70s this weekend.

Fall colors are nearing their peak

Leaves are changing color and many in our central and northern mountains are approaching their peak fall color this week. The peak appears to be on the early side of the historical peak range. We expect peak color around the Grand Mesa, the Elk Mountains, the central and southern Sawatch Mountains, and the San Juans starting about the last week of September and continuing into the first week of October.

Our Next 24 Hours

Tonight will be mostly clear. The last bit of wind We will cool from the low to mid 70s by 6:00 PM to the mid to high 60s by 8:00 PM, then to the high 50s and low 60s by 10:00 PM. The rest of tonight will be clear and noticeably cooler. Morning low temperatures will be around 48 degrees in Grand Junction, 43 degrees in Montrose, 45 degrees in Delta, 39 degrees in Cortez, and 49 degrees in Moab. Wednesday will be sunny and a bit cooler than normal. Many of us may want to wear a light jacket if we head out the door in the morning. We will be in the high 40s and low 50s by 8:00 AM. We will warm up to the mid to high 60s by noon, then to the mid to high 70s by 3:00 PM. Highs are around 26 degrees Celsius around Grand Junction, 23 degrees Celsius around Montrose, 25 degrees Celsius around Delta, 23 degrees Celsius around Cortez and 27 degrees Celsius around Moab.

Copyright 2024 KJCT. All rights reserved.