A busy day at the mountain! Photo courtesy of Wolf Creek Ski area.
Friday – 30 Dec. 2022 – 10:15am
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 28 and the low this morning was 12 degrees. Humidity yesterday afternoon bottomed out at 69%. Winds at the airfield hit 18 mph yesterday.
Precipitation summary…Some light snow moved in overnight. I measured 0.30 at our place about a mile north of Hatcher Lake but some of you in town and to the south measured over an inch. Chromo measured two inches.
Pagosa Springs historical data
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 37 | 60/ 1980 | 3 | -27 / 1911 |
Winter Storm Warning for Elevations above 9000 feet-Does not include Pagosa Springs
Southwest San Juan Mountains- Including the cities of Silverton, Rico, and Hesperus 754 AM MST Fri Dec 30 2022 …WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM MST MONDAY… * WHAT…Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet with locally higher amounts up to 3 feet possible. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE…Southwest San Juan Mountains. * WHEN…From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM MST Monday. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. A detailed map of the snowfall can be found at: www.weather.gov/gjt/winter.
Winter Storm Warning for Wolf Creek Pass:
Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Feet- 354 AM MST Fri Dec 30 2022 …WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON… * WHAT…Periods of moderate to heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 20 inches possible, with locally higher amounts up to 2 feet across the Eastern San Juan Mountains. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. * WHERE…La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Feet and Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Feet. * WHEN…From Saturday afternoon through Monday afternoon, with the heaviest snow Sunday and Sunday night. * IMPACTS…Travel could be very difficult at times. Periods of snow and blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility.
Travel Disclaimer: While we would love to help you make decisions on whether to drive over the pass, plan your trip or predict 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…
The rest of today through Saturday… Mostly cloudy with a chance for snow, mainly this morning. There will be another chance for snow tonight and on Saturday. Temperatures today and Saturday will struggle to reach the low 30’s.
Saturday night-Monday: Another trough that becomes a closed low pressure and more SW flow will give us a good chance for snow from Sunday through Monday. The tricky part of the forecast is Sunday, when warm air moves in ahead of the trough and associated cold front. Snow levels will be wobbling around 7500 feet and temps could reach the low 40’s during the day. It is very possible that those of you living below 7500 feet could see mainly a snow mix and cold rain on Sunday until the trough and cold front move through after sunset. By Sunday night the snow levels drop to under 7000 feet, so everyone should see snow Sunday night and Monday.
Tuesday-rest of next week: Continued unsettled with chances for snow throughout next week
Here is my latest snowfall forecast from today through Saturday.
– Valley: 1-2 inches of snow
– Mountains: 2-4”
Here is my snowfall forecast from Saturday night through Tuesday morning.
-Valley: 7500 feet and below: 5-10 inches of snow with 0.10 to 0.20 inches of rain on Sunday.
– Valley: Above 7500 feet. 7-12 inches of snow.
– Mountains: 12-24”
My forecast…
Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.
-Mark Langford
