Western Colorado Weather Alert: Monday Dry Spell Gives Way to Wet First Week of Fall

Monday is giving Western Colorado one last little break before the atmosphere gets busy again.

Expect mostly dry weather, seasonable temperatures and generally pleasant conditions to kick off the workweek. Enjoy it. The forecast has already decided Tuesday is going to be a different story.

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Monday Looks Pretty Nice

The National Weather Service reports that a high-pressure system building over the Great Basin will keep things quiet Monday.

Winds should stay light and mostly terrain-driven, with some mid-level clouds drifting through during the afternoon. Otherwise, we're looking at the kind of September weather that doesn't require checking the radar every 15 minutes.

Temperatures will also be right around seasonal norms, so there's not much to complain about.

Then the Moisture Comes Back

By Tuesday, a low-pressure system starts moving across the Great Basin and Intermountain West.

At the same time, high pressure over Texas will help pull moisture north from the Gulf and into the Desert Southwest. That moisture eventually makes its way into our neighborhood, bringing showers and thunderstorms back into the forecast.

And the timing is almost too perfect. The moisture arrives just as fall officially gets started.

It's Going to Be a Wet Week

Atmospheric moisture could climb to around 180% to 200% of normal across a large portion of the region, with the highest amounts expected south of I-70.

That doesn't mean it will rain everywhere all day. Shower and thunderstorm coverage will ebb and flow from one day to the next, with some days looking considerably wetter than others.

The southern mountains are likely to see the most consistent chances.

Read More: CDOT Highway Warning: Why October and November Bring Peak Deer Collisions on the Western Slope

Monday Is the Break

The good news is that we're not jumping straight from sunshine into a weeklong washout.

Monday stays mostly dry, giving us one more decent day before the moisture machine gets switched back on Tuesday.

After that, showers and storms could stick around through the end of the workweek.

So if you've got something outdoors to do, Monday looks like your day. Because by Tuesday, Colorado's first official week of fall apparently needs a little rain to celebrate.