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Hummingbird

From a couple of weeks ago…a hummingbird levitates over our outdoor deck flowers. © 2022-Mark Langford

Wednesday – 19 Oct 2022 – 1pm

The past…

At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 61 and the low this morning was 31. Humidity yesterday afternoon bottomed out at 32%. Winds at the airfield hit 11mph yesterday.

Precipitation summary… There was no precipitation to summarize from yesterday!

Forecast discussion…

No change from yesterday…nice fall weather ahead through Friday as high pressure has invaded our area. Morning lows will generally be in the 20’s and low 30’s while highs will edge up to the 60’s. Some of the fog prone areas may see more fog over the next couple of days in the morning.

We are still on track for a major change on Saturday as very strong trough will dig into the Pacific NW, sending down several short waves, a strong cold front and very good odds for precipitation. Look for rapidly changing weather starting on Saturday as our mid-level winds shift into the SW and moisture begins to flow into our area. As the front approaches for an early Sunday morning arrival, surface winds will increase to 10-20mph with some gusts over 25mph on Friday afternoon, then gusts possibly over 30mph for Saturday afternoon and 40mph on Sunday. While there is a chance for rain on Saturday afternoon, our best odds for snow and rain will be early Sunday through early Monday. It will be a wet, very windy and cold Sunday with the potential for 1-2 feet of snow in the mountains and even the chance for several inches of snow in the valley. I expect mainly rain on Sunday in the morning, changing over to snow by late in the afternoon as snow levels drop to around 7000 feet by Sunday night. The mountains will see snow starting late on Saturday through Monday morning, with a few snow showers lingering during the day. There will also be a chance for thunderstorms and thunder snow on Sunday!

Temperatures on Sunday will only reach the 40’s, then drop to the upper teens to low 20’s on Monday and Tuesday morning.

As of today, I am forecasting 12-18 inches of snow for Wolf Creek ski area, 2-4 inches for 7500-8000 feet and 1-2 inches for 7000-7500 feet. Snow will fall in the mountains from Saturday night through Monday and Pagosa Springs from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning.

If you can plan “not” to travel over Wolf Creek pass on Sunday and Sunday night, I would certainly do so. It would not surprise me to see weather watches and advisories issued for elevations above 9000 feet for Sunday and early Monday.

Screenshot 2022 10 19 115123
A NW flow has dried out the mid-levels of the atmosphere and reduced our rain odds to near zero through Friday.
NBM 3
The latest NBM model is forecasting 1.05 inches of precipitation from this weekend through Monday of next week.
NBM Snow 1
The latest NBM model is forecasting only 0.6 inches of snow for Pagosa Springs and around 16 inches of snow for Wolf Creek from this weekend through Monday of next week.
Euro 2
The latest Euro model run is forecasting 0.75 inches of precipitation from this weekend through Monday of next week.
Euro Snow 1
The latest Euro model run is forecasting 2.7 inches of snow for Pagosa Springs and around 16 inches of snow for Wolf Creek from this weekend through Monday of next week.
GFS 3
The latest GFS model is forecasting 0.50 inches of precipitation from this weekend through Monday of next week
GFS Snow 1
The latest GFS model is forecasting 1.8 inches of snow for Pagosa Springs and 16 inches for Wolf Creek through Monday of next week

My forecast…

Pagosa 5 day forecast 10 19 22 1
* The forecast periods are from 8am to 8am.

Pagosa Springs historical data

Average HighRecord High / YearAverage LowRecord Low / Year
6379 / 19912510 / 1976

Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.

-Mark Langford

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Mark Langford

Mark Langford

I consider myself a "weather journalist" who has been studying and following meteorology since taking an earth science class in eighth grade. Later, when I became a professional commercial photographer, I learned that my continued studies in meteorology helped me plan outdoor photo assignments. I'm now a semi-retired photographer who teaches photo workshops, goes storm chasing and of course enjoys photographing great landscapes and clouds in our area. My fine art photography can be seen here: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mark-langford
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