The weather system that pumped moisture into the San Juan Mountains and Southwest Colorado this week is expected to leave the area early Monday and take rain with it, the National Weather Service Grand Junction office reported Saturday.
The bout of wet weather delivered up to 1.3 inches of rain to the city of Durango from Thursday through midday Sunday, according to volunteer-submitted data to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
NWS Grand Junction Meteorologist Dennis Phillips said the system should give way to generally warming temperatures.
Temperatures will reach a high of 70 degrees on Wednesday, according to NWS’s seven-day forecast for the Durango area.
Snow-dusted mountain peaks north of Purgatory were visible as early as Wednesday, and Phillips said the southern San Juan Mountains received the highest recorded amounts of snow through this event.
“We've seen about 16 to 20 inches of snow on some of the snow trails that are up high, … and then below that, it's been anywhere from 2 to 10 (inches),” he said, adding the snowfall was largely isolated to elevations 9,000 feet or higher.
Rain and lightning around 8 a.m. Friday prevented balloonists from taking to the air to kickoff the 2024 Animas Valley Balloon Rally.
Rally organizer Doug Lemberg said on Friday the pilots would perform a flight check at 3 p.m. to determine if the traditional Balloon Glow in downtown Durango could still occur. But rains persisted throughout the afternoon and evening, and the event was canceled.
Phillips said rain is almost certain to continue through Sunday morning in a near constant barrage on the southern valleys and San Juan Mountains. The weather system will start moving on Sunday evening.
He said lightning is more likely Sunday afternoon than in the morning, but a stray lightning stroke is possible.
“It's still going to be … pretty socked in with low cloud ceilings and soggy (Sunday) morning,” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
