After weeks of highs in the 90s, Southwest Coloradans can expect to see a frosting of snow in the San Juan Mountains on Wednesday morning – there’s even a chance for a dusting in Durango and Cortez.
The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office relayed an alert about the winter storm watch, in effect late Monday night through Wednesday morning. Six to 12 inches of snow is possible above 9,000 feet elevation in the San Juan Mountains, with the “dusting” below 9,000 feet.
“I would say it probably gets through Durango, in the mid- to late morning Wednesday, and you’ll be looking at a pretty drastic drop in temperatures. Tuesday’s highs in Southwest Colorado will be in the morning, and it will get colder through the day,” said Mark Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
Drops in temperature of 20 degrees to 50 degrees are likely across western Colorado and eastern Utah.
Durango’s low temperature Monday night is expected to be 50 degrees. Tuesday night’s low is expected to be 31 degrees. Durango’s high temperature Tuesday is expected to be 69 with a high of 61 on Wednesday.
According to the weather service’s five-day forecast, Durango has a 30% chance of showers after 10 p.m. Tuesday night and a 20% chance of snow through Wednesday morning.
Cortez is expected to see a low Tuesday night of 31 degrees, after Monday night’s low of 51. Cortez has a 20% chance of a rain-snow mix late Tuesday night.
“This will be a quick-moving storm coming in from the north, out of Canada. It will be in and out, and by Thursday more seasonable temperatures will be returning.
“By the weekend, you’ll be looking at highs back in the 80s in Durango. In the deserts of Utah, highs will be back in the hundreds,” Miller said.
Miller said the heaviest snowfall is expected along the Continental Divide, but western Colorado should see mountain peaks sporting a fresh frosting.
When you get farther west, to the Utah Colorado border, I think there’s going to be a lot less precipitation,” he said.
parmijo @durangoherald.com
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