The month of March brought near normal temperatures and below normal precipitation to the Montrose area. The average high was 54.6° which was just slightly above the normal of 54.0°. Overnight lows were cooler than average at 27.1°. The normal for the month is 28.4°. Extremes ranged from a high of 69° on the 15th and 29th to a low of 13° on the 25th. Precipitation for the month was 0.36 inches compared to the normal value of 0.82 inches. A trace of snow was reported on the ground on March 1st.

Below normal temperatures continued into February at the Montrose weather station with an average high of 40.5° and an average low of 19.6°. The normal February high is 44.3° with a normal low of 20.6°. Temperature extremes for the month ranged from a high of 55° on the 17th to a low of 8° on the 23rd. Precipitation during February was below normal with 0.24 inches recorded for the month. The normal value is 0.44 inches.

As with much of western Colorado, it was a cold start to the year in Montrose, with temperatures running several degrees below normal. The average high for January was 31.2° compared to the normal high of 38.8°. Overnight lows averaged 5.5° which was well below the normal of 15.6°. January temperature extremes ranged from a high of 50° on the 27th to a low of -13° on the 15th. The Montrose weather station measured 0.57 inches of precipitation for the month, slightly above the normal value of 0.48 inches.

Temperatures for December 2012 were slightly above normal at Montrose with an average high of 39.4° (compared to the normal of 38.8) and an average low of 17.5° (compared to the normal of 16.6°). Extremes ranged from 60° on the 2nd and 3rd to -2° on the 20th. Precipitation was above normal for the month, with 0.84 inches measured. The 30-year climatological normal for December is 0.62 inches. Montrose received 11.8 inches of snow during December, with a maximum snow depth of 6 inches reported on the 31st.

Drought across the southern central U.S. and a freeze in Colorado's San Luis Valley has generated intense demand for hay grown in Southwest Colorado. This year's harvest, enhanced from summer monsoon rainfall across southwest Colorado, is ready to be harvested, but getting hay cut and windrowed for baling means risking the cut hay being rained on, which can lead to mold and a subsequent inability to sell the hay. Accurate weather forecasts for rainfall are often used to decide when to cut and bale a resource that is in high demand this year. Read more online at:The Durango Herald

The April 6, 2011 Lightner Creek fire northwest of Durango began as a 10-12 acre fire, which was quickly contained by local fire authorities. Although larger snowfall amounts were recorded at higher elevations in southwest Colorado, mirroring the snowpack trend in the northern half of the state, lower elevations have received less precipitation, enhancing the fire risk to communities and residents. According to Kent Grant of the Colorado Forest Service, this pattern is typical of the La Nina conditions currently being experienced in the region.

Read more online at: The Durango Herald