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Flash-flood watch issued

Heavy rain expected to linger through Friday
Monsoon clouds build over the mountains north of Durango on Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service calls for a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms today and a 30 percent Friday.

A monsoonal system is expected to linger over Southwest Colorado through Friday, delivering heavy rain at times.

The National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch for Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening. The warning covers a broad swath of Southwest Colorado from Pagosa Springs to Grand Junction, and all the way to Moab, Utah. La Plata County and the southern San Juan Mountains are right in the bull’s-eye.

The system is the “first push of monsoon moisture” this year, said Dennis Phillips, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Grand Junction.

The storms will be accompanied by light steering winds, meaning they’re expected to linger. The system will be “putting out a lot of rain and not moving – that’s when you get a lot of potential for flash flooding,” Phillips said.

Small hail and frequent lightning could accompany the storms, the weather service said.

High temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s to low 90s into next week. Overnight lows will be in the 50s.

The storms typically roll in late in the day.

“We expect the storms to fire on the mountains again like they usually do in the afternoon,” Phillips said.

The weather service called for a 40 percent chance of precipitation today, a 30 percent chance Friday and a 20 percent chance Saturday. Winds could gust up to 40 mph.

For those planning outdoor activities, the weather is expected to dry out a bit Saturday before another system moves in Sunday. A chance of showers and thunderstorms is expected to persist into next week.

cslothower@durangoherald.com



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