Bear Creek Fire at sunset – pic taken 9/7/2023
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Saturday – 9 Sep 2023 – 3:45pm
The past…
At Stevens Field the high temperature yesterday was 83 and the low this morning was 43. Humidity bottomed out yesterday afternoon at 8% and this afternoon it’s 12%.
The peak wind at Stevens Field yesterday was 28mph.
| Average High | Record High / Year | Average Low | Record Low / Year |
| 76 | 88 / 1959 | 39 | 19 / 1941 |
Precipitation summary… There has been no recent measurable precip.
Fire updates…
Quartz Ridge Fire link
Bear Creek Fire link
Forecast discussion…
There is nothing on radar this afternoon in our area.
Forecast Highlights…
*** There is an Air Quality Alert out for moderate to heavy smoke. Smoke will be at its worst overnight and into mid-morning. ***
More clouds, cooler temps, scattered showers and thunderstorms next week.
*** Brief periods of heavy rain, small hail, gusty winds, and lightning are possible Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday evening. ***
*** Keep an eye out for snow above 12,500ft! ***
*** The cold spots in the valley will flirt with freezing temps around sunrise Friday morning. ***
Rest of today through Sunday… Moisture is slowly increasing across the region. Sunday is a transition day as more clouds move in and moisture continues to gradually increase. Spotty showers and a thunderstorm or two are possible Sunday afternoon, mostly over the mountains.
Winds… Afternoon gusts will mostly be in the 15-25mph range.
Temps… Highs will range from the high 70s to mid-80s and lows will range from the high 30s to high 40s.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday… Things are lining up nicely. A trough moving west to east will push moisture from Hurricane Jova into the Four Corners area. By Tuesday precipitable water is nearly 200% of average in our area – impressive!
Monday we’ll see scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday and Wednesday showers with a few embedded thunderstorms will be more widespread. Thursday showers and thunderstorms will become more scattered as moisture decreases across area.
Snow levels…
Snow levels will be around 13,000ft until Wednesday evening. If clouds clear enough, keep an eye on our 13’ers – Rio Grande Pyramid to the northwest and Montezuma and Summit Peaks to the east-northeast – for snow!
Wednesday night snow levels will drop to around 12,500ft so snow is possible towards the tops of many of our peaks. I do not expect snow on Wolf Creek Pass or the ski area.
Winds… Afternoon gusts will mostly be in the 15-20mph range, but stronger gusts are possible near showers and thunderstorms.
Temps… Monday highs will be in the low to high 70s and lows will be in the mid-40s to mid-50s. Tuesday and Wednesday highs will range from the mid-60s to low 70s and lows will range from the mid-40s to mid-50s. Thursday highs will be in the high 60s to mid-70s and lows will be in the mid-30s to mid-40s. The cold spots will flirt with freezing temps first thing Friday morning.
My next post will be on Monday and then I’ll do a post each day through Wednesday or Thursday. – Shawn
