Weekly Weather Outlook: When Rain and Cooler Air Will Reach Western Colorado

The heat is still hanging around western Colorado, but the atmosphere is starting to get a little more interesting.

We’ll see isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon through Wednesday, with gusty outflow winds likely being the biggest nuisance.

Then, if the forecast holds together, things get considerably wetter toward the middle and end of the week.

Monday and Tuesday: Storms, But Don't Expect Much Rain

Moisture is slowly working its way back into western Colorado and eastern Utah, which means afternoon showers and thunderstorms will pop up mainly over the higher terrain Monday and Tuesday.

Some of those storms could drift into the valleys later in the day, but most will fizzle out because there just isn't enough upper-level support to keep them going.

Gusty winds will be the main concern, while meaningful rainfall remains pretty hard to come by.

Western Colorado Starts to See Change on Wednesday + Thursday

Things get more interesting Wednesday when a system opens the door for deeper monsoonal moisture to move north on southerly winds. Translation: More moisture, more storms and a much better shot at actual rain.

Thursday is currently shaping up as the most active day, with several disturbances moving through the increasingly moist air.

Storms could continue into the overnight hours, and this time we're talking about more than a few raindrops and a dusty parking lot.

Heavy rain, gusty winds, and hail will all be possible, particularly where storms slow down.

If you're planning to spend much time in the mountains late this week, keep an eye on the forecast. Conditions could change quickly.

Read More: Colorado's Worst Tornadoes Will Blow You Away

Finally, Some Relief From the Heat

Temperatures will remain about 10 degrees above normal for much of the week, but increasing clouds and precipitation should gradually knock them down.

By late next week, we could actually be looking at temperatures near or even below normal.

After the heat we've been dealing with, nobody's going to complain about that.