Colorado Vacation (Durango: how much, live, refunds)

[Sooner Gal]

Hello, I am in the process of planning our summer vacation in the Durango area for the first week in August. My question is how much rain does that area get during the month of August? We are wanting to plan a jeep/river rafting tour but would really hate to get rained out. Are the odds for or against us by going ahead and planning? The tour place has no refunds.

[80skeys]

Brief afternoon thundershowers are the norm. Go ahead and plan the rafting trip, you won't get rained out.

[jazzlover]

August is normally the wettest month of the year in Durango. Southwest Colorado is normally under the full influence of the Southwest Monsoon at that time. In a normal year, near daily afternoon thunderstorms are typical from mid-July to late August. They may be relatively short-lived, but can sometimes dump considerable rain. Unlike summer rains in places like the Midwest, the afternoon storms can drop the temperature, sometimes drastically--thirty degrees or more with some.

A simple rule of thumb in southwestern Colorado is to look at the sky at around 9 AM. If ANY clouds are visible, then the Southwest Monsoon is "in" and afternoon storms will be very likely.

As to whether it would ruin your jeeping/rafting, that all depends if you are prepared. If you are jeeping in the high country, you should be prepared for everything from warm sunny days to snow flurries. Nighttime frost is not at all uncommon at higher elevations by early to mid-August. With rafting, you can be sunburning in a hot sun in the morning and freezing in a cold rainstorm by 3 PM. It's all possible. You can always tell we native Coloradans because we generally carry clothing and protection for just about any kind of weather when we go to the mountains. Not to is just foolhardy and asking for trouble.

This webpage ( http://www.summitpost.org/area/range...html#chapter_3 ) has some great information on San Juan weather toward the bottom of the page. This page also contains good information: http://www.mountainstudies.org/datab...limateText.htm

[goyanks57]

The weather in the Durango area is unpredictable in August. Like jazz said, come prepared for any kind of weather. If you stay here for a week, odds are that the weather will be nice enough for a few days so that you can do everything you want to.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

August is normally the wettest month of the year in Durango. Southwest Colorado is normally under the full influence of the Southwest Monsoon at that time. In a normal year, near daily afternoon thunderstorms are typical from mid-July to late August. They may be relatively short-lived, but can sometimes dump considerable rain. Unlike summer rains in places like the Midwest, the afternoon storms can drop the temperature, sometimes drastically--thirty degrees or more with some.

This is 100% A-1 spot on correct.

I remember one afternoon driving across the desert monitoring the outside temperature with the gauge on my truck. It was about 90 degrees. As I looked ahead I saw that I was heading towards some rain. I kept a close eye on the gauge, and as I drove into the rainstorm I watched as the temperature dropped about one degree per second. It kept dropping all the way to about 65 degrees. It kept steady at this temp as I was in the thick of the storm. As I passed through it and came out the other side, it went back up to 90!