A spring storm that moved in late Wednesday brought mostly rain to elevations below 7,000 feet in elevation and up to 6 inches of snow to the highest peaks of the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado.
The system is expected to stick around through the weekend, thanks in part to a ridge over the Atlantic Ocean that is blocking the west-to-east flow across North America, said Dennis Phillips, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
“This system is kind of the first of many,” he said. “This one is actually going to be swirling around here through the early weekend. Unsettled weather kind of continues through Saturday evening and maybe even part of Sunday.”
Most of the moisture is expected to occur during the afternoons through Saturday, he said.
The Colorado Department of Transportation issued a chain and traction law Thursday morning for commercial vehicles traveling Red Mountain Pass, which received 2 to 4 inches of snow.
Temperatures are expected to remain below average through early next week across most of the country as a result of a low-pressure zone pulling air from the north, Phillips said. Forecasters predict a high of 55 degrees Thursday in Durango and a low of 28 degrees Thursday night. High temperatures are expected to stay below 50 degrees through Saturday, with a low in the mid-20s. A warming trend occurs Sunday and Monday.
“This is a pretty cool system,” Phillips said. “The low pressure is basically taking up all of central North America.”
shane@durangoherald.com
