Garfield, CO 81248 Weather

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central: east central: south central and southeast Colorado.

Day one: Today and Tonight

Areas of fog will be possible through late Thursday morning over the far eastern plains. Fog could be dense in some areas, with very limited visibility.

Days two through seven: Friday through Tuesday

Snow and rain will move into the mountains this weekend, increasing across the region into next week. Accumulating snow is expected over the taller mountains, with moderate to heavy rainfall possible over the lower elevations. Flash flooding potential will increase along the Continental Divide and across the San Luis Valley Sunday and into Monday. Meanwhile, portions of the plains may see a wintry mix.

Spotter information statement

Weather spotters will not be needed today or tonight.

Key messages

- Mild and warm today, with some morning fog over the plains.

- Potential for mountain snow and heavy rain returns to the Continental Divide this weekend, spreading over the San Luis Valley as well into Monday.

- Mountain snow increases early next week, with showers spreading east across the area. Parts of the forecast are still uncertain.

Short term

Issued at 1230 AM MDT Thu Oct 29 2026

Be on the lookout for patchy fog over the eastern plains during the early morning, mainly east of Pueblo County, with coverage increasing closer to the KS border. Visibility will drop off quickly in these areas, so exercise caution when traveling. Fog should clear up later this morning, by about 10am or so.

One last mild and quiet day today before our next system starts moving in. Thanks to the recent cold front, temperatures will be a few degrees cooler today, with 50s to mid-60s across most of the area, though a few places over the southern plains may hit 70 this afternoon.

Long term

Issued at 1230 AM MDT Thu Oct 29 2026

Much more active weather is expected to move into the region starting on Friday, and lasting into early next week.

On Friday, a deep upper low will slowly move down along the west coast, while a secondary low moves towards California, getting embedded in a broad upper trough. Flow aloft over our region will pick up out of the southwest, bringing good moisture transport into the mountains. Showers will be isolated to scattered in nature to begin with, mainly falling over the San Juans. Meanwhile, a shortwave will pass over the southern portion of our CWA, which could bring some scattered afternoon showers to the far eastern plains. That will most likely depend on the speed of the wave as it pushes past, with most of the heavier accumulations falling in Kansas and the OK Panhandle.

Moving into the weekend, the forecast gets less certain as model solution begin to diverge. The general trends have the northern low pushing southeast towards Nevada into Sunday, while the southern low moves onshore in California. Beyond this point, the two low pressures will phase with the broad flow pattern, namely the deepening trough over the western CONUS, before pushing east and into our area. That being said, the exact timing, path, and amplitude of the systems as they interact are still too wildly different between solutions for any fine details to be decided on just yet.

In spite of the wide arrange of synoptic patterns we could see into early next week, the trend of impacts has started to take shape. QPF spread amongst latest guidance shows the highest accumulations in the San Juans, no surprise there given the persistent SW flow, followed by the central mountains, with the rest of the higher terrain varying a bit more. Snow levels are still uncertain, given that even a subtle shift north or south of the approaching low could impact how much cold air moves into the region. In general, we can expect heavier snow over the San Juans, mainly closer to the peaks. Uncertainty increases even more looking further east, as the path of the system will greatly influence whether the Palmer Divide and eastern plains receive any precipitation at all, with deterministic guidance varying considerably.

Regardless, latest models show plenty of moisture moving into the mountains through Sunday, with activity spreading east onto the plains through Tuesday. Temperatures will also cool off another 10- 15 degrees or so by then thanks to an influx of cooler air. Beyond that, models still need more time to agree on the details.

Aviation

Issued at 1018 PM MDT Wed Oct 28 2026

VFR conditions anticipated across much of the forecast area over the next 24 hours, including the three main TAF sites of KCOS, KPUB and KALS. Surface Winds will be generally light and diurnally driven. However, IFR/LIFR ceilings and fog spread into the plains overnight, roughly between 11z and 16z. This should stay east of KCOS and KPUB so no mention, but will monitor through the night. A gradual lowering of the cloud deck is forecast for most sites starting after 00z tomorrow.

Watches, warnings and advisories

None.