Rain and snow are in the forecast for the weekend, according to the National Weather Service forecast, but with daytime temperatures hovering in the low 40s, it’s unlikely anything will stick.
Friday will be mostly sunny with a high around 43 and an overnight low of 19. Partly sunny skies are slated for Saturday, with a high around 42. The overnight low Saturday is slated to be around 24, with a 20 percent chance of a rain and snow after midnight that carries over until about noon on Sunday, according to the NWS.
The rain expected this weekend is a welcome respite from dry conditions.
According to local meteorologist Jim Andrus’ year-end calculations, total precipitation for 2014 was 9.01 inches compared with the average precipitation level of 12.75 inches.
“We were down 3.5 inches for entire year. It was a dry year once again,” he said. “There’s another chance of rain and snow this weekend, and with the drought we’ve been having we’ll certainly welcome any chance of rain and snow we can get.”
Sunday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 41 and a low of 23.
The 40-degree highs enjoyed by Cortez stand in stark contrast to the freezing temperatures gripping most of the nation. The National Weather Service warned earlier this week that frigid arctic air from the north will bring “bitterly cold weather from the western High Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.” The NWS reported that subzero overnight lows were expected for the Dakotas, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and New England this week, many reporting wind chills as low as minus 40. Cities as far south as New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla. have also been under freeze-warnings.
Meanwhile, the temperatures in Cortez this week peaked at 52 degrees on Jan. 7.
“That’s definitely above normal for us, but its still not a record-breaker,” he noted.
Andrus says the average temperature for this time of year is 42. The highest temperature on record for January was a balmy 59 degrees, set in 1954.