Monday – 30 May 2022 – 5:45pm
*** The NWS has issued a FREEZE WARNING valid from midnight tonight to 9am Tuesday morning. Frost and freeze conditions will kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. ***
I expect low temps tonight in our area mostly in the mid-20s to lower 30s. The cold spots could dip into the low 20s.
Here’s a popular question… When can we move our plants outside?
Pagosa Springs historical data indicates that 31 May is the final day with an average low of 32. However, the temp doesn’t just shoot up and stay there. The average low is still 33 to 35 through 14 June – that’s cutting it close! And of course, a cold low pressure system can still drop temps below average.
Two things to consider…
1. Our terrain is complicated. Most of us live between 6,500ft and 8,500ft elevation and temps vary considerably. There are cold spots and warms spots spread all over the county.
2. My forecasting crystal ball goes out about two weeks. Forecast confidence the first 5-7 days is pretty high, but then drops considerably those last 7 days.
And what do I expect? Most of us will be able to leave our plants out starting Thursday. You folks that live in a cold spot might want to wait another week.
Winds… We hit 48mph in O’Neal Park this afternoon and the airfield hit 43mph. This is the last day of strong winds for a while. Starting tomorrow winds will drop into the “breezy” range of 20-30mph.
I’ll do a more thorough post tomorrow.
- Shawn
