The peaks of the San Juan Mountains are putting on their first caps of snow for the season as a series of storms bring precipitation to Southwest Colorado.
“We had a good report this morning that there was about 2 inches of accumulation at 9,200 feet in your area,” said meteorologist Norv Larson with the Grand Junction office of the National Weather Service on Thursday evening. “There will probably be 4 to 6 inches tonight above 9,500 feet.”
The weather service issued a winter storm warning for mountain passes, including Red Mountain Pass, for Thursday night.
Larson said precipitation will ebb and flow through Saturday night.
“It’s difficult to identify the fronts with this series,” he said. “They just seem to come in waves. One’s not finishing before the next one starts.”
While Durango probably won’t have any drenching storms in the next 48 hours, it could get from 0.10 to 0.25 inch of rain this afternoon and again Saturday night, he said.
“If we were still in the high summer months, thunderstorms would still be moving in during the afternoons and dropping significant moisture, but not at this time of year,” Larson said.
The forecast is also for lower temperatures than normal for the next several days, with highs in the mid-50s.
Monday night’s low in Durango is predicted to be 25 degrees, which would be the lowest temperature so far this fall.
“We keep track of the season freeze, and we have you down for 30 to 32 degrees on Oct. 10,” Larson said. “But Monday, if people are still bringing in their tomatoes, that will be the one.”
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