Those planning to make it outside this weekend are in store for warm weather with scattered storms.
For the weekend, the National Weather Service in Grand Junction said Southwest Colorado can expect scattered showers and storms in the early afternoons and evening hours.
Lightning and small hail are possible; campers should stake down their tents, as wind gusts could reach 40 to 50 mph.
On Saturday and Sunday, Chris Sanders, a meteorologist with the NWS, said high temperatures will be in the low- to mid-60s in the high country.
River-runners should be prepared for cold water and potential debris in the water.
David Moler, owner of Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours, said his company is offering trips starting at Santa Rita Park below the Whitewater Park that take rafters through the Southern Ute Reservation for either two-hour trips or four-hour trips. He said that ages 4-plus are welcome on this stretch of Class 3 rapids. Because the reservation is private property, it is not generally open to the public, but his company obtained a “crossing permit” with the tribe to make this possible. “Its fun, it’s family-friendly,” Moler said.
He said it is the best flows the river has seen since 2005, when the river saw 52,000 rafters. He hopes it will see 55,000 rafters this season. If that happens, the economic impact on the local community would be $9 to $12 million more than last year.
As of 8:30 a.m. Friday, the Animas River was running with a discharge rate of 6,410 cubic feet per second, but data suggest it could peak on Saturday at 7,500 cfs in Durango.
bmandile@durangoherald.com
