Finally, a (small) chance of rainfall

Red flag alerts prevail in region
JERRY McBRIDE/Durango Herald<br><br>Area fruit trees may be affected by the cold nights as a spring storm moves through the area.

The National Weather Service forecast is calling for a slight chance of rain and snow showers on Friday, a respite from the dry conditions that have left most of the Four Corners under sporadic red flag warnings over the last few weeks.

The forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of precipitation Friday, with a slight chance of rain and snow showers between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., then a chance of rain and possible thunder later in the afternoon and into the evening. Skies should be mostly cloudy with a low around 28 and a high of 53.

Any snow accumulation will be light and spotty, the NWS says.

The precipitation chances remain around 40 percent on Saturday, with a chance of rain and snow showers before 1 p.m. Most of the afternoon should see partly sunny skies with a high rebounding to 62.

Saturday night, the forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of showers before 7 p.m. with a low around 29.

Sunday the clouds should clear enough for a day under the sun, with a high of 64 and an overnight low of 31.

The weekend precipitation isn’t much, but likely welcome after the recent dry and windy conditions seen in the area over the last few weeks.

In La Plata County, a brush fire broke out on April 12, affecting about 60 acres on the east bank of the Animas River. While the fire did not affect homes, it did prompt a pre-evacuation notice earlier this week, which was lifted Wednesday. As of Wednesday, the fire was about 90 percent contained.