Instead of sledding and building snowmen over this February weekend, Cortez residents biked, hiked and enjoyed temperatures that were about 20 degrees higher than normal.
It felt like spring.
“These are definitely above normal,” said Ellen Heffernan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
The average temperature for the first week of February is about 45 degrees. On Friday, Cortez peaked at 62 degrees, Saturday was 61, and Sunday was 62.
The lows, however, are on target. On Friday, the low was 20 degrees; on Saturday, 21; and on Sunday, 24.
The average low for this time of year is 19 degrees.
“We have low pressure in the Eastern Pacific and high pressure over our area. That is why we are so warm,” Heffernan said. “It’s been very, very warm and dry.”
In Hovenweep, the temperature got up to 64 degrees and tied a record set in 1996.
Those high temperatures will likely go away Tuesday when a system comes through.
“A system will come through Tuesday and will bring more clouds and a little cooler temperatures and some mountain snow,” Heffernan said.
The high temperatures will likely drop into the 50s, still above normal, and drop rain in the elevations above 8,000 feet, Heffernan said.
Heffernan said there’s a chance for rain in Telluride.
“In town, it could rain, but above 8,000 feet, there should be more snow than rain,” she said.
At Telluride Ski Resort on Saturday, some skiers cruised downhill wearing a T-shirt.
While many are wondering where winter went, Heffernan said they have their fingers crossed at the National Weather Service and are optimistic that March and April will bring relief.
“Often, January is a dry month for western Colorado. March and April are sometimes our wettest months,” she said. “Hopefully we will still have some winter.”
The Four Corners area wasn’t the only area affected. On Friday, it was 82 degrees in La Junta. In Pueblo, it was 78. Colorado Springs was 72, and Denver was a balmy 70.
Colorado’s snowpack is at 83 percent of its historical median, and the region – at 66 percent – is the second-lowest in the state.
The snowpack is constantly changing. Snow falls, and snow melts. And for now, it’s going to fall less and melt more. In the next 10 days, the lowest predicted highs are in the 50s, and in the middle of the week, it might rain.
Norv Larson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, called it “crazy warm.”
“It doesn’t look like any significant change is coming to this pattern for a while,” Larson said. “But the three month outlook looks good. March and April are shaping up to more normal in terms of temperature, with a better chance of precipitation. Let’s just hope that’s right.”
Brandon Mathis, of the Durango Herald, contributed to this report.
