Weather radar is an important tool
Unfortunately the distance to the nearest radars and mountainous terrain, makes radar in the Four Corners region sketchy. Features need to be around 25,000 feet high to be seen over most of Archuleta County. This means we can see strong showers and thunderstorms, but not light precip and most snow. Also, as features get towards the edge of radar coverage, they usually appear to weaken though that might not be actually happening. Radar can still be helpful to us, especially when used in conjunction with satellite.
Good news on the horizon… As of spring 2021, plans are in motion to install a radar just south of Durango. The new radar should go a long ways in plugging the Four Corners data gap!
