Purgatory starts making snow

Rain predicted in Durango
Snowmaking and Terrain Park Manager Josh Hamill adjusts snowmaking equipment in 2013 at Purgatory Resort. The resort starting making snow this week in preparation for opening day.

Snow is in air, some man-made and maybe some natural flakes near Silverton.

Purgatory Resort starting making snow this week in preparation for opening day on Nov. 19, the resort said on Twitter.

This would be the second consecutive year the resort has opened before Thanksgiving.

Silverton could see some snow mixed in with the rain Sunday, said Andrew Lyons, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

But it is not expected to accumulate, he said.

A change of rain could linger through Tuesday in Silverton, according to the National Weather Service.

Lyons expected the conditions at Purgatory would not be optimal for snowmaking, but likely workable.

Loveland Ski Area and Copper Mountain Resort have also started making snow, the Associated Press reported.

It is still too warm for Durango to see snow, but there is a 50 percent chance of rain on Sunday. The most likely time for rain is Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, Lyons said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

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