Fall meets winter in Pagosa Country! Pic taken 10/13/2021
Wednesday – 13 Oct 2021 – 2:30pm
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 48 and it occurred at 6am. The low this morning was 31 –- 10 to 15 degrees warmer than I expected. The clouds didn’t clear out which kept our low temps a bit warmer. We bottomed out mostly in the mid-20s to low 30s. South Fork cleared out and their temps were in the mid-teens and the perpetually cold-morning Creede bottomed out in the 5 to 10 degree range…brrrr!
The peak wind at the airfield was 38mph and I saw a couple of other spots hit 40mph. Wolf Creek’s weather sensor hit 55mph yesterday morning and then stopped reporting. When weather equipment fails during the worst weather, we jokingly call it “weather protect mode”.
Precip in the last 24 hours…
Average snowfall across the valley was 1-3”. Wolf Creek Pass closed for about 5 hours yesterday after several vehicles, including large commercial vehicles, spun out, and a semi-truck jackknifed and blocked both lanes. Wolf Creek Ski Area hit the upper end of my snow forecast with 14”. They announced at 1:15pm today that they will have a limited weekend opening!
A HUGE thanks to the CoCoRaHS observers and everyone else who reported snowfall amounts!
Forecast discussion…
Tonight clouds will gradually clear and it will get chilly.
Tomorrow a weak, fast moving trough will kick up a few a spotty showers. This one will favor northern Colorado.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be sunny with warmer temps as a ridge builds over the region. And unfortunately, it looks like we’re “stuck” with nice dry weather for at least the next 10 days.
My forecast…
Tonight… Clouds will gradually clear and lows will be in the teens. Patchy morning fog is possible.
Thursday… There will be more clouds and spotty afternoon showers, especially over the mountains. Highs will be in the mid-40s to lower 50s and lows will range from the upper single digits to upper teens. Winds will peak around 30mph.
I expect up to an inch of snow in the mountains and no significant accumulation in the valley.
Friday through Sunday… Back to glorious fall weather! Expect lots of sun and chilly mornings. Friday will be the coolest with highs ranging from the upper 40s to mid-50s and then the weekend will be in the mid-50s to lower 60s. Friday night lows will be lower teens to lower 20s and then the rest of the weekend they’ll be in the upper teens to upper 20s.
Pagosa Springs historical data
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 66 | 79 / 1955 | 27 | 12 / 1997 |
My next post will be tomorrow morning.
– Shawn
