Remnants from Tropical Storm Illeana brought rainfall and snow to the higher elevations of the San Juan Mountains early this week in Southwest Colorado.
According to the most recent available rainfall data from the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, Durango received just over an inch of rain by 7 a.m. Tuesday. Pagosa Springs saw about 1.5 inches, while Bayfield recorded about 1.3 inches.
Mesa Verde National Park was hit with 1.3 inches of rain by early Tuesday while NWS did not have direct measurements for rainfall in northern La Plata County near Purgatory Resort.
The National Weather Service confirmed the first dusting of snow this season occurred Monday night in the San Juan Mountains.
National Weather Service’s Advanced Water Prediction Service shows that the West Needle Mountain range received 0.75 to 1 inch of snow as of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“We’ve also got a pretty strong cold front approaching the area from the west, and we’ve got some very strong southwesterly winds,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Brianna Bealo. “The combination of those strong winds and the abundant moisture has led to some stronger thunderstorms down in the Four Corners.”
Drought conditions are improving, with La Plata, Montezuma and Archuleta counties now classified as drought-free, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Parts of Archuleta and Montezuma counties had been considered abnormally dry in July.
It is unknown what impact the late monsoon rains will have on kicking off the winter snowpack, Bealo said.
“This pre-winter precipitation that we’ve had, it’s going to be helpful because it means that less of the moisture from the snowpack is going to go toward recharging the ground,” Bealo said.
According to the National Weather Service’s Water Prediction Service, higher elevations in the San Juan National Forest received anywhere from 8 to 10 inches of precipitation during the month of August.
The storm was expect to move out of the region Tuesday afternoon. Bealo said early models show the region drying up near the end of the fall, making it difficult to tell what the impact of a damp summer will have on soil.
However, long-range models are always subject to change, she said.
This week’s storms have also caused mudslides on East Animas Road (County Road 250), where large rocks washed out onto the road Tuesday morning.
Colorado Department of Transportation crews reported two weather-related incidents Tuesday afternoon in Southwest Colorado.
Just after noon, crews responded to flooding and a mudslide on U.S. Highway 160 about 10 miles west of Pagosa Springs, near Chimney Rock, at mile post 131. It took less than a half hour to clear water and debris, said CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.
At 12:30 p.m., crews responded to flooding on Colorado Highway 151 just north of Navajo Reservoir, at mile post 23. At 1:45 p.m., the field crew reported the highway was cleared.
The Animas River saw a slight boost from the early week storms. As of Tuesday afternoon, streamflow discharge was recorded at 261 cubic feet per second with a gauge height of 2.42 feet. That marks a 12.5% increase since the previous day, bringing the 10-day streamflow average to 268 cfs, according to SnoFlo.
On Aug. 31, Durango Fire Protection District rescinded Stage 1 fire restrictions in La Plata County outside city limits.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
