A rare June storm blanketed several inches of snow across Southwest Colorado, with both Silverton and Telluride reporting about a half-foot of snow accumulation.
Mike Charnick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said unseasonably cold air entering the region from the north, and moisture off the Pacific Coast coming from the west, set up the storm.
As a result, temperatures dropped below freezing Monday night into Tuesday morning, allowing for snow.
Telluride saw the most accumulation with about 6 inches. Placerville reported 3 inches, Ridgway reported 1 inch and a location between Rico and Dolores also reported 1 inch.
Jeff Derry, director of the Colorado Snow and Avalanche Studies, said he woke up to about 5 inches of snow on his truck in Silverton.
“It was fluffy snow for June, so it was pretty cool to see,” Derry said.
Durango didn’t see any precipitation with this storm, though temperatures were expected to drop below freezing. A weather station at the Durango-La Plata County Airport reported a low of 33 degrees Monday night.
Winds were also high throughout the day. At the airport, the weather station recorded a wind gust that reached 55 mph. In Cortez, a wind gust reached 50 mph.
Charnick said the rest of the week should remain dry, with temperatures going back to normal or above-normal for this time of year. In Durango, daytime highs are expected to be in the 80s.
The chance for precipitation returns this weekend, Charnick said, with scattered showers possible in the high country of the San Juan Mountains.
jromeo@durangoherald.com