While Colorado is sitting right around average for its median snowpack, the southwestern slice of the state is a little behind. The San Juan, San Miguel and Dolores River basins are currently at about 75 percent, and that could spell trouble in the spring.
Colorado’s snowpack is a crucial water source for its rivers and streams, feeding lakes, lands, reservoirs, fields and crops below. Agricultural communities especially rely on snow for spring and summer water availability.
Snow is in the forecast, and while it may not be much, every bit helps.
John Kyle, data-acquisition program manager with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said it will be drier than the wet, snowball stuff that Durango received Saturday night.
“It’s not going to be as wet as this (previous) storm, but you should get more,” he said. “That system that just went through was pretty much straight out of the Pacific, and it was pretty moist snow.”
The Durango area awoke Sunday to about 1 inch of dense snow, resulting in slick road conditions during the cold morning temperatures. At least two minor weather-related accidents were reported within city limits.
Kyle said the next storm is coming from the Northwest.
“It’s coming from the Oregon-Washington coast, and it’s going to be spinning up over the Four Corners,” he said. “As it goes across the Colorado-New Mexico border, that’s where you’re going to get your best chance of snow.”
A hazardous weather outlook is in effect, and the weather service has issued a winter storm warning in effect from 6 p.m. Monday through 6 p.m. Tuesday. Snow is expected to start in the late afternoon with a 90 percent chance of precipitation, and accumulation could be up to 8 inches in Durango before Wednesday.
“Its going to be a decent storm from the San Juans south into Durango,” Kyle said.
That’s good news for the local snowpack and for the ski areas.
Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort could get up to a foot. Wolf Creek, Telluride and Silverton may get more.
“This next one looks good,” Kyle said.
For Durango, snow is likely Monday, especially late afternoon, accumulation of 5 inches is possible, with highs near 40 and lows around 27 on Monday night. Tuesday calls for snow before 1 p.m., then a mix of rain and snow for Durango, with highs near 36 and accumulation up to 3 inches possible. The lows will be around 17 for Tuesday night, with Wednesday mostly sunny and high near 40.
bmathis@durangoherald.com
