Pagosa Weather March ’23 Newsletter

The early morning after days of clouds & snow. Note how only the top of the fence posts are visible in the 45″ of snow. Thursday morning, March 2nd, O’Neal Park, northwest of Pagosa Springs. Photo Credit: Shawn Prochazka

Big Thank You Waves to Individual Donors & Our Sponsors; News on Community Outreach; Contest Updates

Personal Donations

Special waves of thanks to our donors in the month of February: David Robb, Jennifer Aherns, and Ernie O’Toole.

And huge thanks to the folks that came out to San Jaun Mercantile and made donations: Phil Slusher, Vickie Lens, Steve Trummel, Lori & Paul Davenport, Vickie & Tom Mallary, Jennifer & Ron Montoya, Kristin & Chuck Duvall and an anonymous gentleman.

What your generous donation goes towards

Your donations help us take care of the costs of the website manager, the website, weather subscriptions, and other business expenses.  Most importantly your donations ensure that we will be able to provide this free service for everyone for years to come.  Remember, each donor will receive a Pagosa Weather Snow Depth Measurer (yardstick). 

Follow this link to make a donations: How to Donate: You can donate by PayPal, Square, or by check. Thank you for our generosity!

You can pick up your Pagosa Weather Snow Depth Measurer (yardstick) at San Juan Mercantile.  

San Juan Mercantile is a fun store with Antiques, Collectibles, Jewelry, Knives, Candles, Housewares, Fine Linens, Local Honey, Souvenirs, and Locally made items.  It is at 524 San Juan Street, next to the Barber Shop, across the street from Plaza Liquor.  Thank you to Cindy and her team for being our store front!

Mark, Shawn and I have been truly touched by the support our followers have shown for us!


Sponsors

We LOVE our Sponsors!  They just amaze us with their support!

Terry’s Ace, Colorado Home Store has committed to another year as a Snowman level Sponsor. Huge thanks to Grace and her entire team at Ace for their support.

Click on the sponsor’s logo to follow to their website.

Blizzard Level Sponsor

Ski & bow rack logo with an archer

Snowman Level Sponsors

Alley House Logo
Ace Logo
Huge thanks to Terry’s Ace for joining us for another year!
Pagosa Medical Center

Snowball Level Sponsors

Dr M Logo
The Buck Stops Here logo
Pagosa Mountain Sports logo
San Juan Sled Dogs logo
Peggy Andrews Logo

Our Storm Sponsor

The Springs Logo

Pagosa Weather Meet & Greet at San Juan Mercantile!

A number of folks came out to meet Mark, Shawn and I on Saturday, February 11th at San Juan Mercantile at 524 San Juan Street on a mild winter day! It was so wonderful to meet all of you.

Our Snowball Sponsor, Peggy Andrews, stopped by to visit for a bit. Always good to see you, Peggy!

We handed out a number of yardsticks to generous folks who made donations. Again, huge thanks to: Phil Slusher, Vickie Lens, Steve Trummel, Lori & Paul Davenport, Vickie & Tom Mallary, Jennifer & Ron Montoya, Kristin & Chuck Duvall and an anonymous gentleman.

We talked to quite a few folks about the CoCoRaHS program. And we signed up two new observers! Huge thanks to Michael and Lori & Paul! We were able to set them up with their necessary equipment that day and our new volunteer scientists are now contributing to hydrologists better understanding of the mid level snowpack in our area.

We also met Chuck & Krista who volunteered to help Pagosa Weather with a number of community outreach programs this year.

Huge thanks to Cindy, Tom and the rest of the team at San Juan Mercantile for hosting our meet and greet and for being our store front!

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Your Pagosa Weather Team: Shawn, Arleen, Mark
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Mark demonstrating the CoCoRaHS rain gauge & funnel to young scientists.

Presentations

Valor Academy 3rd/4th Grade

We had such fun with these junior scientists! They were so engaged and asked such intelligent questions. We did pressure demonstrations, made a cloud in a jar, discussed wind with bubbles, and static electricity related to lightning. We even talked about cumulonimbus and standing lenticular clouds and the weather associated with those clouds.

When Shawn asked one girl if she wanted to be a meteorologist when she grew up, she said, “No. My friend and I are going to be veterinarians.” Shawn said, “Oh, then you can take care of my dog.” Without pausing, the girl said, “No, your dog will be dead by then.” Yes! They are sharp!

Middle School, 8th grade

We have such respect for Mrs. Hinger, the Middle School Science teacher. This was our second year visiting the Middle School. We taught about 100 students in five classes. We were exhausted by the end of the day. It’s a huge task!

This year we talked about air masses, how they form, and how they interact with each other to eventually result in our mountain snow. We did a demo on how temperature, pressure, and volume correlate. We shared some of our favorite weather web pages to further explore these concepts.

Next year, we’re going to share the weather forecasting process with them.

4 Feb 2023 pm 8th grade science classes
Arleen and the 8th grade students exploring global temperatures on Windy.

2nd Annual Pagosa Triathlon – March 23rd – March 26th

We’ll be collaborating with the 2nd Annual Pagosa Triathlon organizers to provide weather support.

The Triathlon is going to be a lot of fun and is open to the public to watch. During the Pagosa Triathlon competitors will participate in a hot air ballooning competition, a skiing competition, and a rafting competition. For teams who are unable to do all three events, a fourth event can be substituted. An in-town scavenger hunt!

It begins, March 23rd, Thursday evening with a welcoming banquet. Friday morning the visiting pilots will fly media and sponsors to see Pagosa from a different perspective. Friday night a community glow will illuminate the night’s sky. There will be a balloon search-scavenger hunt for children as well as goodies. There will also be a Pagosa Springs Town Scavenger Hunt that businesses can participate in. The Triathlon Competition Day will be held Saturday with awards given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as well as best cheater and best dressed. A final farewell Mass Ascension flight will be held on Sunday followed by the Awards Ceremony.

For more details, follow this link: https://www.pagosaadventure.com/upcomingevents

Triathlon Poster

CoCoRaHS

Pagosa Weather is the Archuleta County “CoCoRaHS Coordinator” and “Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador”.

Huge thanks, again, to Michael Z. and Lori & Paul D. who signed up for the CoCoRaHS program this month.

Archuleta County is well represented but we still have big data gaps. We really need a volunteer in Arboles, Dulce, west on Highway 160, Pagosa Junction, and the upper Blanco. Sign up by filling out this web page: https://www.cocorahs.org/application.aspx. Or send us a note and we can send you more detailed information.

CoCoRaHS Map

The red circles are areas we could use a CoCoRaHS observer. Let us know if you can give us 5 to 10 minutes every morning to measure precip and snow. CoCoRaHS provides all the training you need.


Pagosa Weather Calendar

March 16th: 12:00, Rotary Club presentation

March 23-26: Pagosa Triathlon; weather coordination

April 6th: Pagosa Weather Team visits National Weather Service in Grand Junction

April 28/29: Viticulture Workshop in conjunction with Archuleta County Extension Agency

May 18th, Thursday, 6:00 – 7:00pm: Ruby Sisson Library; Monsoon Outlook, Open to Public

June 1st, Thursday, 6:45-8:00pm: Outdoor Club Meeting; Monsoon Outlook – Open to Public

July 4th, Tuesday, 10:00am: 4th of July Parade; Hand out Cloud Stress Clouds & candy

September 23, Saturday, Time TBD: Mountain Chili Cha Cha; Information Booth.

Early December: Festival of Trees; Pagosa Weather tree adorned with snowmen and snowflakes.

Send email to pagosaweather.org if your organization would like to hear a weather presentation.


Contest Updates

Special Thanks to our sponsor businesses that have stepped forward to sponsor our weather contests. They are a lot of fun!

Upcoming Contests

1st 75 degrees of 2023Mar 7, 2023Pagosa Mountain Sports
2023 Monsoon RainfallMay 15, 2023The Springs Resort

Active Contest – Wolf Creek Total Seasonal Snowfall Contest!

Forecast the Total Seasonal Snowfall for Wolf Creek Ski Area on their final day of operation.  The person with the closest guess will win a $50 gift certificate for SKI & BOW RACK!!! In addition, Ski & Bow Rack has offered HATS for the next closest guesses!

Huge thanks to Brittany & Robert and the rest of the team at Ski & Bow Rack for the support of our weather contests and for being our Blizzard level sponsor!

Note: This contest is closed to any new guesses.

Ski & bow rack logo with an archer

Wolf Creek currently has received 356″ of snow!

Val Valentine says:     357”

Jeff Witten says:         362”

Brian G Akins:            377 inches

Starla Pribble:            382 inches

Kirsten Derr says:       382

Martha Vitale Ball:     386

Gina Boaz:                  387”

David Hansen:            388″

Kirk Bliss:                   388″

Amy Shepherd:           391″

Pat Melinis Colby:      393″

Dena Laterza:              395″

Jan Powers:                 397 “

Michelle Tressler Kolkau: 398″

Venita Durrer:             399”

Renee Demianew:       402″

Musetta Wollenweber:403″

Al Pfister says:            403″

Sandra Meyn Thoma:  404”

Lauren Hawksworth:  406″

Kenny Rogers says:    407″

Laura Lunsford says:  409

Rose G Shehan says:   410″

Michelle Juneau says: 410 inches

Dennis Jeffrey:            411”

Carol Ann Peterson:    411″

Jeff Bentley:               412 inches

Falisha Cozette Plake: 413”

Nathanael Ward:         414

Mike Cianciolo says:  419″

Tonya Jayne:               420″

Rob Barlow says:        420″

Terri Theisen:              420”

Luke/Katrina Brinton: 421”

John Curran:               421”

Kristie/Kirk Bixler:     423”

Kay Reed:                   425”

Gregory Peck:             426”

Bill Milner:                  427 inches

Barbara Clabaugh Pugh: 429”

Edie Brogan:               429”

Phil Slusher says:        429 inches

Hannah Hemenger:     432”

Amanda Martinez:      433”

Dee Halley:                 435”

Gina Leach:                 435”

Audrey Bliss:              438″

Chris Edwards:           444”

Kelly Tony Norwood-Gray: 449”

Hillary Fredrickson:    450”

Dave Stimpson:           454″

Haley Richard:            455″

Rick Holter says:        457″

Joni Watkins:              460”

Cheryl Ward-Bowdridge: 462″

Simmie E. Rose:         472″

Casey Fisher:               475″

Janice Roedel says:     480 inches of snow.

Randy Hays:               485″

Steve Voorhis says:    485 inches

Andrew Woods:          488″

Kathy Moore:              512

Kim Bristow says:      512 inches

Michael Iske:              602

Chelsea Casaceli:        877


Active Contest – Spring Thunderstorm!

Forecast the date and time of the first thunderstorm occurrence within 10 miles of downtown Pagosa Springs. The person with the closest guess will win a free sandwich from The Buck Stops Here, one of our Snowball sponsors.

Huge thanks to Jen, Kevin, Steve and the rest of the team at Buck Stops Here Market & Eatery for sponsoring this weather contest.

Note: This contest is closed to any new guesses.

The Buck Stops Here logo

3/3/2023 Musetta Wollenweber 3:23 PM

3/5/2023 Brenda Ransom Smith 8:17 PM

3/6/2023 Cherese Bergman 2:00 PM

3/13/2023 Chris Richter Kaufman 5:45 PM

3/15/2023 Aaron Anderson 12:00 PM

3/17/2023 Randy Hayes 4:00 PM

3/18/2023 Venita Durrer 2:35 PM

3/19/2023 Phil Slusher 3:31 PM

3/20/2023 Barbara Clabaugh Pugh 4:00 PM

3/21/2023 Irene Hamburgh Mueller 4:00 PM

3/23/2023 Dave SimpsoN 3:30 PM

  • Glenda McDowell 7:30 PM
  • Donna Rogue Muir (Realtor) 8:49 PM

3/24/2023 Diedre Denali Rosenburg 3:00 PM

3/25/2023 Julie Davidson 4:20 PM

3/31/2023 Dee Halley 3:30 PM

4/1/2023 Eileen Martin 6:00 AM

  • Michael Hughes 12:00 PM
  • Theresa Snyder 3:00 PM
  • Bonnie J. Newman 3:20 PM
  • Carol Holleran 3:45 PM

4/2/2023 Amber Demmet 4:12 PM

4/3/2023 David Hansen 4:00 PM

  • Adam Quintana 4:35 PM

4/6/2023 Cherese Bergman 2:00 PM

  • Nathanael Ward 3:00 PM

4/7/2023 Audrey Bliss 3:00 PM

  • Simmie E. Rose 4:45 PM

4/8/2023 Gina Boaz 3:20 PM

4/10/2023 Nancy Green 3:00 PM

  • Beth Wallis Terry 4:45 PM

4/11/2023 Julie Pederson 4:00 PM

  • Caron Ann Peterson 11:00 PM

4/12/2023 Katherine Yaklavich 2:45 PM

4/14/2023 Kim Bristow 5:17 PM

4/15/2023 Ed (Pagosa Weather) 4:15 PM

  • Steeve Voorhis 4:40 PM

4/17/2023 Holly Baldwin 4:00 PM

4/18/2023 Michele Berndt 5:00 PM

4/20/2023 Kristie Bixler 10:30 AM

4/22/2023 Gina Lynn 2:22 PM

4/25/2023 Sandra Meyn Thomas 4:30 PM

4/26/2023 Patrisha Patten 3:30 PM

4/27/2023 Douglas Michael Yeaton 4:30 PM

4/29/2023 Joni Watkins 4:30 PM

4/30/2023 Jacklyn Price 7:10 PM

5/1/2023 Starla Pribble 3:00 PM

5/3/2023 Peggy Pike 2:30 PM

  • Kenny Rogers 4:30 PM

5/5/2023 Debra Priest Wallen 4:00 PM

  • Abey Crenshaw Nelson 4:38 PM

5/14/2023 Lisa Vail 1:01 PM

Pagosa Weather Blizzard Level Sponsor

Pagosa Weather Storm Sponsor

Arleen Pro

Arleen Pro

I grew up in Montana where my love of mountains is rooted. I was in the Air Force for 24 years; Weather Observer to Weather Forecaster to Staff Weather Officer all to ensure flight safety. Mission was to brief aircrews on clouds, winds, turbulence, icing, thunderstorms. I served a total of 8 assignments and 4 deployments around the world. After RV traveling full time for 9 years, we found paradise in Pagosa. Here we enjoy hiking, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, snowshoeing, skiing in spectacular mountains! Plus, we're trying to solve the San Juan weather puzzle! I am an AMS member.
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This website makes no guarantees about nor bears any responsibility or liability concerning the accuracy or timeliness of the weather information published on this website. All weather information published on this website is for educational and weather enthusiast purposes only. We do not issue Storm Watches, Warnings or Advisories as that ability falls with the National Weather Service, who is the only institution allowed to issue such warnings by law. We are not in any way linked nor affiliated with the National Weather Service, although we do share information and relay weather watches/ warnings, etc. Use of the information on page is at your own risk/discretion, and we are not responsible for any personal/property damages, injury or death associated with weather forecasts, reports or other information as well as communication exchanged in private messages and/or person.

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