Southwest Colorado is in for more snow Sunday, a dusting that will likely freeze as cold, northern winds whip through the San Juan Mountains early next week, weather officials say.
People living in the Animas River Valley should expect anywhere between 2 to 3 inches of snow, a storm that will begin around 2 a.m. Sunday and last until about 2 p.m., said Tom Renwick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. The San Juan mountains, at least those that are taller than 9,000 feet, could see anywhere between 4 and 8 inches in the same time period, Renwick said. That system is moving southeast from the north, he said.
That northern air will bring cooler temperatures in the days to follow, Renwick said. Sunday’s high will be around 32 degrees Fahrenheit, he said, with temperatures dropping to 10 degrees Fahrenheit Monday morning. Monday’s highs match Sunday’s temperatures, and Tuesday morning could get down into the single digits, he said.
“That northerly flow, it’s just pumping all the cold air from the north,” Renwick said.
Tuesday will remain cold, but a southwestern system is expected to bring warmer temperatures starting Wednesday, Renwick said. That system, which is traveling northwest, is expected to drop snow on the region Thursday into Friday, “certainly something to keep an eye on,” he said.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
