Record high temperatures were reported in Pagosa Country last week, on Wednesday, June 17.
According to a post from Shawn Prochazka with Pagosa Weather, the high at Stevens Field Airport on June 17 reached 89 degrees, beating the previous record high for that date of 87 degrees, set in 1986.
Prochazka notes that the average high temperature for that date is 79 degrees, with an average low being 36 degrees. The record low for that date was set in 1950 at 22 degrees.
Warm weather persisted over the last week, with temperatures lingering in the high 80s.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the high in Pagosa Springs for today, Thursday, June 25, is forecast to be 83 degrees with a slight chance of thunderstorms after 9 a.m.
Patchy smoke is also possible in the area in the afternoon due to fires in Utah. The low is forecast at 45 degrees with a 30 percent chance of showers in the evening.
The high for Friday, June 26, is forecast to be 84 degrees with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. The low is forecast at 44 degrees with a chance of thunderstorms and showers in the evening.
A fire weather watch has been issued by the NWS starting Saturday, June 27, at 10 a.m., lasting until midnight.
The high for Friday is forecast to be 85 degrees with breezy and sunny skies. The low is forecast to be 41 degrees with clear skies at night and more breezy conditions.
Similar conditions are expected for Sunday, June 28, with the high forecast to be 83 degrees with breezy conditions and sunny skies during the day. The low is forecast at 41 degrees.
River flows
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as of 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, the San Juan River in downtown Pagosa Springs was flowing at a rate of 39.8 cubic feet per second (cfs). Earlier readings that day saw the river drop to 34.8 cfs, which is above the record low flow of 30.4 cfs set in 2002.
Based on 90 water years of records, the mean flow for that date is 952 cfs, the median flow is 713 cfs and the record high flow is 3,940 cfs, which was recorded in 1941.
As of 1 p.m Wednesday, June 24, an instantaneous value was not available for the Piedra River near Arboles, according to the USGS.
Based on 63 water years of records, the median flow for June 24 is 518 cfs and the mean flow is 674 cfs for the Piedra River. The record high flow for this date was recorded in 1979 at 2,220 cfs, while the record low was recorded in 2002 at 16.3 cfs.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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