Durango received just a smidgen over half an inch of snow over the last several days, and about three-fourths of an inch of precipitation is forecast through Sunday and early next week.
But snowshoes won’t likely be required, given warm temperatures will quickly melt whatever snow tries to stick around.
Dave Byers, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction, said Snotel reported an average of 2 feet and up to 3 feet that fell in the San Juan Mountains during the same weather event, which started Wednesday evening.
He said an avalanche warning has been issued for the mountains, as well as a general weather advisory, which lets people know to expect snowy conditions.
“The higher passes are gonna still be snow packed and icy,” he said.
Byers said warm temperatures will melt any snow or ice on roads among lower elevations, but people should be aware mountain roads will still be slippery, particularly on mountain stretches of U.S. Highways 550 and 160 and Wolf Creek Pass.
The low pressure weather system that hit basically all of Colorado mid-week is known as a Rex block. It is idling over southern California and southwestern Arizona, and it will likely last through Wednesday.
“There's a high pressure up over the Pacific Northwest. And those two (systems) just kind of hold each other in place,” Byers said.
Temperatures will linger in the upper 40s on Sunday and break into a high of about 55 degrees on Tuesday.
On Thursday, high temperatures are expected to reach at least 60 degrees.
Byers said snow is common in the springtime up until late April or May, and people can expect weather patterns to live up to their climatological norms this season.
“March and April, tend to be fairly heavy,” he said. “But then it tapers off April and May. … Only the higher elevations will be seeing snow.”
cburney@durangoherald.com
