Playing in the Animas River is a summer tradition for many Durangoans, but toward the end of the summer, the flow of the river drops during a slow transition to fall.
However, this year is a bit different. For a couple of weeks recently, the river level rose. The river has surpassed the median 102 years statistic because of this year’s monsoon season.
Last month, the river peaked July 1 at 1,320 cubic feet per second. The river’s flow continued on a steady decline, reaching its low of 431 cfs July 23.
During August the highest peak was 822 cfs Wednesday.
Official precipitation rates for Durango are taken at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. Travis Booth, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said an automated system at the airport records statistics for the Durango area.
For the month through Aug. 7, the airport received 0.93 inches of precipitation. The 30-year average for that same time period is 0.51 inches, he said.
The month of July saw about 1.30 inches of moisture and the norm is 1.72 inches, Booth said. Durango was 0.42 inches below average in July, an amount equal to the above-average rainfall so far in August.
It’s important to keep in mind that scattered thunderstorms are widely spread geographically, and some parts of the county receive more moisture than others, Booth said. It’s hard to corollate one site for the whole region.
In the Durango area up to the southern San Juans Mountains, summer thunderstorms have been slightly above average this season, Booth said.
The weather this weekend will be sunny, he said, with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the 50s.
“The first chance of afternoon thunderstorms returns Sunday afternoon,” Booth said.
An increase in moisture is expected for the early part of next week.
The rest of the state and other parts of the West have benefited from a wet summer.
A generous monsoon season has helped ease drought conditions in Colorado and the Southwest, but parts of the hard-hit southern plains still have a long way to go.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday, said that between 2 and 6 inches of rain fell in storms last week across the plains of Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, which have been stuck in a drought for nearly four years.
However, report author Brad Rippey says the states will need extended rain and snowfall to make up for the 20 to 30 inches of moisture they’ve lost during that time.
Rangeland and pasture in New Mexico and Arizona are still fairly dry, but conditions have improved. While all of Colorado was in some stage of drought a year ago, now just 40 percent is defined as drought-stricken.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
