Don’t put the cushions back on the lawn chairs.
After several hours of intermittent rain Friday in Durango, forecasters say residents should brace for more rain throughout Saturday.
While the downpour is excellent news for thirsty gardens, this weekend, outdoor enthusiasts should be careful.
The National Weather Service says a flash flood watch is in effect in Southwest Colorado.
“With a flash flood ‘watch,’ it means there’s heavy storms coming with the potential to cause runoff down the river banks. We’re not looking for flooding in the Animas, but the smaller tributaries could get exciting,” said Tom McNamara of La Plata County’s Office of Emergency Management.
He said that as things stand, the threat of flash floods isn’t severe enough to merit a “warning,” which indicates that they’re either already happening or nearly certain to happen.
Tom Renwick, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said Durango could expect to see an inch of rain by Saturday night.
“What we have going on is a remnant of a tropical storm. All the moisture from Tropical Storm Andres is getting pulled up through Arizona and New Mexico, and it’s affecting us,” he said.
He said, in the grand scheme of things, an inch of rain isn’t “that much.”
“But because it originates from a tropical storm, the models might be underestimating how much Durango’s going to get – it could be quite a wet weekend,” Renwick said.
He said the National Weather Service decided to issue a flash flood watch “because we got reports that up in the San Juans, creeks were running pretty high. We know people like to go up there on the weekends. But there’s a chance of flash flooding up there.”
Matthew Aleksa, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said in comparison with last year’s bone-dry June – which saw only a “trace” of rain on the 18th – this month is shaping up to be relatively sopping.
“This year, May was very wet, and we’re in an active pattern where we’re getting storm after storm,” he said.
In a years-long drought, any moisture is good news for the Four Corners, where parched summers drastically increase the risk of wildfire.
But for Durango residents who relish sunny weekends spent hiking, biking and meandering downtown unencumbered by umbrellas, the next two weeks are likely to prove drenched and disappointing.
Aleksa said the skies above Durango should empty by Sunday, when things will dry up until midweek. But because of a low-pressure system off the Southern California coast, another storm is forecast to move in Thursday and bring rain to La Plata County through next weekend.
Aleksa said everyone should expect a sodden summer.
“We’re expecting thunderstorms in June, July and August, well above the average precipitation,” he said. “We’re a lot wetter than we were this time last year.”
cmcallister@durangoherald.com
