Drink plenty of fluids, stay indoors, and avoid the sun, all while checking up on animals, relatives and neighbors.
The National Weather Service issued those recommendations as heat is expected to blanket portions of eastern Utah and western Colorado this weekend.
On Thursday afternoon, the weather service issued an extreme heat warning beginning noon Saturday and lasting until Sunday late-evening where hot conditions may range from 97 to 102 degrees locally.
The localized heat advisory is affecting the Four Corners Region and Upper Dolores River area, Mesa Verde National Park, and cities such as Cortez, Dove Creek, Mancos and Towaoc.
The warning states heat-related illnesses pose higher threats during these events. Excessive heat may adversely affect vulnerable populations such as very young children, people who are older or those who experience chronic illnesses.
“Near-record high temperatures are possible during this event, especially on Sunday during the peak,” the NWS said.
NWS Meteorologist Brooke Scholtens in Grand Junction said the current forecast could reach 99 degrees in Cortez for Saturday and 97 degrees on Sunday.
The projections are not quite record-breaking. The all-time Cortez high for the month of July was set in 2021, clocked at 103 degrees.
“Seek shade when possible and stay out of the sun during peak heating, from noon and up until 6 p.m.” Scholtens said. “The other note is, the nighttime is not going to recover in terms of temperatures – usually you see cooling off for majority of the night.”
National forecasters are seeing an upper-level ridge building in the southwest acting as a heat dome over the next few days, and a stagnant sun that’s appearing to mean the region could hold onto heat.
High temperatures may prolong into early next week – at least until Monday – for the region. According to the NWS forecast, Grand Junction and Moab may see triple-digit highs starting every day from Friday through Wednesday, with Delta experiencing similar conditions.
Critical fire weather conditions mainly focus on southeast Utah and southwest Colorado.
On Monday, there’s a 30-50% chance of thunderstorms in Cortez, Scholtens said.
awatson@the-journal.com
