Our cirrus filled skies have led to some great sunsets lately…photo by Mark Langford
Monday – 26 Dec. 2022 – 10:30am
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 44 and the low this morning was 18 degrees. Humidity yesterday afternoon bottomed out at 18%. Winds at the airfield hit 7mph yesterday.
Precipitation summary…There was no precipitation to summarize!
Pagosa Springs historical data
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 37 | 56/ 1980 | 3 | -30 / 1911 |
Thanks to the Springs Resort for sponsoring this upcoming storm!
Winter Storm Watch for elevations above 8000 feet:
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT… * WHAT…Heavy snow possible mainly above 8000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 18 inches with upwards of 2 feet possible. * WHERE…In Colorado, Grand and Battlement Mesas, Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide, Northwest San Juan Mountains and Southwest San Juan Mountains. In Utah, La Sal and Abajo Mountains. * WHEN…From Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility, especially on ridge tops and mountain passes.
Winter Storm Watch for Wolf Creek Pass:
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT… * WHAT…Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 16 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. * WHERE…Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Feet. * WHEN…From Tuesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact travelers over Wolf Creek Pass.
Travel Disclaimer: While we would love to help you make decisions on whether to drive over the pass, plan your trip or forecast if planes will be able to take off in Durango on a particular date, we don’t have the resources to do so…plus it puts us in potential legal liability if you go flying off Wolf Creek Pass when we suggested it would be a good day to travel. Please use these two links: New Mexico Road Conditions and Colorado Road Conditions. And this one for Durango Airport flight information.
Forecast discussion…
Watch out what you ask for! Most of us have been wishing for a decent snow storm this season in the valley and based on the latest model runs, we will be seeing chances for snow for at least a week, with a few breaks in between. The one big change in the forecast this week is the lowering snow levels as compared with what the models were forecasting a couple of days ago. As of this post, it looks like Tuesday night’s and Wednesday’s precipitation will fall as snow, instead of a mix.
Today through Tuesday afternoon… Ridging will build along the West Coast and put us under a dry northwest flow pattern. Systems will stay north of us, and we’ll see occasional patches of clouds. Clouds will increase Tuesday ahead of the next system.
Temps will be 5-10 degrees above average.
Tuesday evening to Thursday afternoon… A trough will slowly move in from the west, setting us up for a very wet SW flow. While temperatures will remain above average for this time of the year, snow levels will manage to drop below 7000 feet, allowing for the potential for some decent snow totals for the valley. With temps reaching the mid 30’s on Wednesday, this will be a fairly wet snow, so it will be harder to blow or shovel it off your driveway!
Friday through the weekend: It looks like another storm will move through this weekend with similar snow totals! I’ll be updated this system tomorrow.
Here is my latest snowfall forecast:
– Valley: 7-14” – From Tuesday night through Thursday. Highest totals will be from Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon.
– Mountains: 15-25”
My forecast…
Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.
-Mark Langford
