As Summit County’s rainy summer comes to a close, meteorologists are expecting Labor Day to be a sunny one.

So far this summer, monsoonal rain conditions have impacted the larger holiday celebrations, including Memorial Day and Fourth of July, and it has kept Summit County free of fire restrictions.

All of the rain has lessened the boom of summer tourism and business, but current forecasts show that this weekend’s celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers should be drier and more sunny.

Scott Entrenkin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said there is a “tiny disturbance” that drops a weak cold front on Friday, which may spark a few showers or storms over the mountains and Eastern Plains on Friday afternoon. Showers will be most likely along the front of the disturbance, falling mainly across Washington and Lincoln counties. 

“(The region) could see a few degrees of cooling for Saturday behind the weak trough,” Entrenkin said. “Otherwise, temperatures across the Plains will be in the 90s with just a few degree fluctuations day to day through next Wednesday. It will be mainly dry through next Wednesday, and expect a possible late-day shower storm over higher mountains, mainly Park and Summit counties.”

Entrenkin added that while the weekend will be warm, it is highly unlikely that there will be any record-breaking temperatures. According to previous reporting from the Summit Daily News, the Western Slope’s monsoon season, which contributed to keeping fire restrictions at bay this summer, is mostly over. Typically, the monsoon season for Summit County begins within the first one or two weeks of July and ends in mid-August, but 2022 conditions began much earlier. Now that we’re at the end of August, monsoonal conditions are unlikely to continue. 

Areas to the south are expected to get more rain as the monsoonal systems move closer to the equator.

“There are some hints that the big high will shift more eastward into the central plains later next week with approaching stronger upper trough into the Pacific northwest,” he said. “This could lead to an increasing chance of showers, but we’ll see.”

According to forecasts from the Climate Prediction Center, Colorado’s Western Slope — including Summit County — will have “likely above” normal temperatures for the next two weeks. As for precipitation, probability is “leaning above” normal, though it is not guaranteed.  

Starting on Friday, highs for the weekend are expected to be in the high 70s with no chance for rain after Saturday night.

Lows for each day are steadily forecasted in the low 40s.

Wind gusts are expected to be between 15-17 miles per hour on Friday and Saturday, but that is expected to clear up by Saturday night.