A cold coyote looks for prey behind our home near Coyote Loop Trail! © 2023-Mark Langford
Friday – 24 March. 2023 – 9:15am
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 40 and the low this morning was 12 degrees. Humidity bottomed out at 33%. Winds gusted to 23 mph yesterday at a nearby remote sensor…the airfield’s anemometer continues to be on the fritz!
Precipitation summary: Most of us reported 0-a trace of snow yesterday.
Pagosa Springs historical data
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 53 | 72/ 1940 | 19 | -3/ 1952 |
Forecast discussion…
A beautiful, but cold start to the day with temperatures ranging from -2 degrees on the upper Piedra, single digits (my backyard about a mile north of Hatcher Lake), to the teens for much of the town of Pagosa Springs. The average high is supposed to be in the low 50’s and the average low in the upper teens! Temperatures will struggle to get out of the 30’s today as clouds will be on the increase ahead of a trough and cold front that will arrive late this afternoon and early evening. With that combo, will come another chance for snow and a tiny chance for some scattered imbedded thunderstorms. As of this post time, I don’t see the need to break out your snow blower again, with only 0-2 inches of snow forecast. By tonight, temperatures will drop down to near zero to the single digits and on Saturday, many of us will stay below freezing, even with mostly sunny skies. We could see a record low tomorrow morning at the airfield, with tomorrow’s record low being 3 degrees. On Sunday, a weak trough moves through in the afternoon, giving us another chance for some snow showers, but as of now, most of us will see less than an inch of snow.
There are signs that we could see a stronger system late next week…I’ll be watching the models and keep you posted as we get closer to that potential event.
5-Day Forecast…
The rest of the day-Partly cloudy this morning, becoming mostly cloudy this afternoon and evening. A chance for scattered snow showers and even a slight chance for scattered thunderstorms. Best odds for precipitation will be from 6-10pm. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 25mph. Highs in the mid 30’s to low 40’s.
0-2 inches of snow for the valley and 2-6 inches for the mountains.
Saturday: Partly cloudy and cold with SW winds 10-15 mph and gusts to 25mph. Lows zero to single digits and highs in the mid 20’s to low 30’s. A few snow showers over the mountains.
Sunday: Partly cloudy with lows zero to single digits and highs in the low to mid 30’s. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 20mph. A chance for snow showers in the afternoon.
0-1 inch of snow for the valley and 1-3 inches for the mountains.
Monday-Tuesday: Mostly sunny with lows in the single digits and teens and highs in the upper 30’s to low 40’s. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 25mph.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy with a slight chance for snow and rain showers. Lows in the teens to 20’s and highs in the mid to upper 40’s. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 25mph.
Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.
-Mark Langford
