Before jumping into the current weather and forecast, I wanted to quickly share a benefit of the All-Access subscription that I believe is highly undervalued, which is the estimated trail conditions.

We use recent weather conditions to estimate if the trail is snow-covered, muddy, a little wet, or dry, and we update this every hour. We also offer one-click access to a visual history of precipitation and temperature over the past 24 hours.

Here is an example of the estimated trail conditions for Mount Elbert, Colorado.

The data is updated every hour via a proprietary algorithm that integrates radar, surface and satellite observations, stream gauge data, climatology, and our in-house weather forecast data system.

Use the links below to view the estimated trail conditions for popular locations across the United States:

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Half Dome, California

Mt. Rainer, Washington

Pikes Peak, Colorado

Grand Teton, Wyoming

Mt. Superior, Utah

Mt. Hood, Oregon

Mt. Washington, New Hampshire

View the estimated trail conditions on any device with the All-Access subscription for $29.99/year (Single) or $39.99/year (Group). The subscription includes 5-day hourly forecasts, high-resolution maps, and much more.

Current Weather

Very mild temperatures are in place across much of the Western United States on Friday afternoon, with the exception being along the coast of Oregon and Washington. A welcome relief for this region!

Looking at the radar on Friday afternoon, typical thunderstorm activity will continue as monsoonal moisture streams into the Four Corners region. Very heavy precipitation can be encountered under any of these cells so make sure to check our 'Radar' map overlay to see what's happening in real-time.

The wildfires across the Northwest and down into California remain the focus for smoke that could impact your outdoor plans. The image below of our 'Smoke (sky)' map overlay does a great job at detailing the approximate locations of current fires and forecasting their downstream smoke impacts for the next 18 hours.

Forecast for Saturday, July 17

Not much in terms of big changes for temps is expected through the weekend. Cooler temperatures will be in play along the West Coast, along with very mild temperatures throughout the Intermountain West.

The big story will be the monsoon moisture that will stream into the southwest and create heavy precipitation for parts of Arizona and into New Mexico. Colorado will receive typical afternoon thunderstorms.

Forecast for Sunday, July 18

Scorching temperatures and wildfire smoke will continue to inundate the northern Rockies on Sunday. As you'll see in the image below, increasing precip will keep temps cooler in the Southwest, while very dry conditions keep warm temps in place further north.

Monsoon moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will stretch further west on Sunday. New Mexico and Arizona will be favored for the most widespread thunderstorm activity, while the Southern California Mountains and Sierras could receive some precip as well.

Outlook for Mon, July 19 - Fri, July 23

Very mild temperatures (compared to average) will be found across the Northern Rockies next week, along with California, Utah, and Colorado. Coastal Washington and Oregon will benefit from cooler temperatures, as will Arizona and New Mexico.

Monsoonal moisture will also benefit the Southwest during the week of July 19, with Arizona, southern Utah, and Colorado picking up typically afternoon thunderstorms. The high country of California could also get in on the action early in the week, as well as some areas in northern Utah and farther up into the Northern Rockies.

Thanks so much for reading! Next update on Monday (7/19).

SAM COLLENTINE

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