My lightning trigger caught this bolt that hit south of Pagosa Peak last night during one of many thunderstorms! © 2023-Mark Langford
Wednesday 6-7-2023. 9:40am
The past…
At Stevens Field the high yesterday was 73 and the low this morning was 45 degrees. Winds gusted to 32mph during a thunderstorm.
Precipitation summary: Our COCORAHS observers reported rainfall totals of 0.51 to 0.87 inches. Except for the remote sensors that obviously aren’t working, most recorded over a third of an inch of rain for Archuleta County, with the highest total of 0.76 inches near Chromo.
Pagosa Springs historical data
*** The average last freeze is 31 May. Temps can still drop below freezing into the third week of June with average lows remaining in the mid-30s. ***
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 75 | 87/ 1913 | 36 | 19/ 1951 |
Forecast discussion…
What an evening! Storms that formed over western New Mexico yesterday afternoon pushed into our area from 6-9pm. Considering the average monthly rainfall for June is only 0.95 inches, many of us had half of that total over the past 24 hours! There were also reports of marble size hail. While there will be a chance for more storms this afternoon, the low pressure over southern California will be moving into Nevada today, bringing in drier air from the SW (indicated in yellow) into the mid-levels of our atmosphere and reducing storm coverage for today. By tomorrow, rain odds go “poof” for at least a week. I’ll dig into the longer range forecast later this week.
A reminder to hikers…afternoon storms can not only produce lightning and drop hail and brief heavy rain, but temperatures can drop quickly, producing the potential for hypothermia if you are not prepared with rain jackets, etc.
5-Day Forecast…
The rest of the day: Partly cloudy with a chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. SW winds 10-15mph with wind gusts over 25mph near thunderstorms. Rainfall totals: Zero-0.05 inches.
Thursday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s and highs in low to mid 70’s. SW winds 10-15mph.
Friday-Saturday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s and highs in low to mid 70’s. SW winds 10-15mph, with gusts to 25mph.
Sunday-Monday: Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s and highs in low to mid 70’s. SW winds 10-15mph, with gusts to 30mph.
Check out my Pagosa Peak Cam (myearthcam.com) for watching hikers, bikers and of course, the weather.
