Forecast Highlights

• An active monsoon pattern will remain in place across much of the Intermountain West, especially heading into the upcoming weekend for the Four Corners region.
• Smoke should remain confined to the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies, though light smoke could drift further south during the second half of the week.
• Flash flood potential will remain elevated for slot canyons, dry washes, and mountainous terrain.
• Similar weather likely continues for the Western US during the week of August 21.

Forecast for Tuesday (8/16)

The story of the summer has been a very welcome return of monsoon moisture to the Western United States and this week be no different. Beginning on Tuesday, the Pacific Northwest will receive dry conditions as daily thunderstorms shift further south, especially across eastern Colorado and the Four Corners region.

Forecast for Wednesday (8/17)

The Sierra of California will then get in on the action come Wednesday as the main focus for precipitation shifts a bit further south and west. Keep an eye on elevated lightning risk for California, along with a healthy slug of moisture and lightning for the San Juan mountains in Southern Colorado.

Forecast for Thursday (8/18)

This Thursday will likely be the quietest day for weather across the Western US as thunderstorm activity mainly focuses on Nevada, Southern Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. There could also be a sliver of moisture for southern Oregon but this will not amount to much.

Forecast for Friday (8/19)

Friday is when the party will really get started in regards to another very healthy plume of moisture for the Four Corners region. Flash flooding will be a big concern across the canyon country of Arizona and Utah, while burn scars will also be in the cross-hairs from heavy precipitation. Keep an eye on our hourly weather forecasts if you have outdoor recreation plans, along with our current and forecast radar, for the latest updates.

Forecast for Saturday (8/20)

There will then be not much change as we head into the weekend compared to Friday. Very healthy precipitation amounts will fall across Arizona and New Mexico, while strong afternoon thunderstorms ignite across southern and central Colorado, along with northern Utah.

Outlook for Sunday (8/21) - Thursday (8/25)

Looking ahead to next week, there's really not much change in regards to the overall weather pattern. The GFS does try to introduce drier weather into the Western US, while the European model keeps things very active.

As you can see below, the latest 6-10 day temperature and precipitation outlook keeps our weather very interesting across the Four Corners region. This summer continues to be very kind to the drought-stricken southwest and we should see this region benefit from the surge of monsoon moisture through the end of August. Keep it coming!

Thanks for reading! Next update on Friday (8/19).

SAM COLLENTINE