Once upon a time ago, my backup weather station was mounted at the top of our backyard cattle fence post…now it looks like I just threw it out on top of the snow!
Monday – 27 March. 2023 – 9:45am
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 33 and the low this morning was 14 degrees. My backyard about a mile north of Hatcher Lake was one of the cold spots this morning with a low of 2 degrees. Humidity bottomed out at 30%. Winds gusted to 19 mph yesterday at a nearby remote sensor.
Precipitation summary: Snowfall totals from early this morning ranged from 1/2 inch to almost 2 inches in Chromo and Chama, NM. Wolf Creek Ski Area had 4 inches of snow overnight, bringing their yearly total to 470 inches!
COCORAHS snow reports from this morning.
Pagosa Springs historical data
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 52 | 69/ 1988 | 19 | -8/ 1913 |
Forecast discussion…
Our trough and snow didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to have arrived Sunday evening instead of early Monday! Snow started falling around midnight and ended by 3am. Today will be another cold day with highs in the mid to upper 30’s even under late March sunshine. By Tuesday we will start a short-term warming trend that will see temperatures actually approaching normal by Wednesday with highs in the low to mid 50’s! Don’t blink, because by Thursday, snow is back in the forecast as a trough and cold front make their way into our area again. The models are still trying to sort this out, with snow totals ranging from only an inch to five inches.
5-Day Forecast…
The rest of the day Partly cloudy with highs in the low to mid 30’s. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 25mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny with lows in the near zero to single digits and low teens and highs in the low to mid 40’s. SW winds 10-15.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy with lows in the teens to 20’s and highs in the low to mid 50’s. SW winds 10-15 with gusts to 20mph.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for snow and rain showers. Lows in the teens to 20’s and highs in the mid to upper 40’s. SW winds 20-25mph with gusts to 45mph.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance for snow showers in the morning. Lows in the teens to 20’s and highs in the upper 30’s to low 40’s. SW winds 10-15mph with gusts to 25mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny with lows in the upper single digits and teens and highs in the low to mid 40’s. SW winds 10-15.
Snow totals from Thursday through Friday morning: 1-3 inches valley and 8-12 inches for the mountains.
Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.
-Mark Langford
