All it takes is a quick step outside to confirm that, so far, winter in La Plata County – and across much of Southwest Colorado – is unseasonably warm.
Durango set record-breaking highs on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, when the temperature climbed to 60 degrees, 5 degrees warmer than previous records for those dates, according to in-town data from the National Weather Service.
The warm temperatures have been accompanied by a drier-than-normal December and scarce early season snowfall. While it has impacted and raised concerns across sectors like cattle ranchers, water management and tourism – sectors largely dependent on winter weather – no one is throwing out hope for a good winter.
Local businesses have been impacted by the weather differently – good or bad, dependent on the seasonal recreation it sells.
Scant snowfall is bad news for powder hounds, and bad business for ski shops that depend on winter recreation business.
Revenue at Ski Barn is down roughly 25% this season, said owner Bill Brown. It’s not great, and definitely nerve-wracking, Brown said, but still, he remains cautiously optimistic.
A second shop he opened in Denver last year has helped offset slower sales in Durango, and holiday foot traffic locally has been stronger than expected given the conditions.
Visitors from Texas who typically travel to Durango each December still made the trip this year, Brown said, even if they spent fewer days skiing than usual.
Over the past few days, the shop has experienced the regular holiday rush, he said.
“Yes, it sucks. Yes, it’s warm,” Brown said. “Five bikers just went past my location on north Main on the road, probably riding up to Purgatory. But it can change, and it can be a huge winter. I hope that happens.”
And while ski-related businesses wait for snow, Durango’s fishing industry has seen increased activity, as warmer temperatures keep rivers accessible later into the season.
Cole Glenn, owner of San Juan Wranglers, said his shop has booked more guided fishing trips than usual on account of the high temperatures. Many of the last-minute customers have ended up swapping ski days for fishing excursions after spending a day up at Purgatory skiing on sparsely covered runs.
“We’ve definitely capitalized on it, and hope to continue,” Glenn said. “But we need the moisture, so it’s a love-hate thing.”
If warm, dry conditions persist long-term, Glenn said, the outlook could shift. Low river levels and heightened wildfire risk would pose serious challenges for the fishing industry in future seasons.
He also had some insight into the swarms of the small bugs, called midges, that have seemingly overrun the river trail: It’s not that abnormal, he said.
This time of year is one of the main hatching periods for the insect species, Glenn said. It takes them only a day to hatch once eggs are laid in the river, then they come off the water in big numbers.
“It’s happening more now because the weather is nice, but it’ll happen on blizzard snow days when it’s like 20 degrees out and it’s cold and miserable, and you could still go down to the river and see midges hatching,” he said. “It may not be as numerous, but they still will hatch every day, essentially.”
City of Durango snowplow expenditures stay underbudget
Minimal snowfall so far this winter, on top of low snow totals at the end of last winter, is keeping the city of Durango’s snowplow expenditures under budget.
The city allocated just under $958,000 for salaries, equipment maintenance, materials, and contracted services related to snow removal for the 2025 year, city spokesman Tom Sluis said. The street department will finish the year roughly $171,000 under budget.
During low‑snowfall years, the city can redirect remaining funds toward other operational maintenance projects with depleted funds, while still staying within the budget, he said.
For the region’s ranching community, winter precipitation is closely tied to long-term water security. Low snowpack can mean less water available once irrigation ditches reopen in the spring.
Although the warm weather has limited snowfall so far, heavy rains in the fall helped replenish local reservoirs, providing some reassurance heading into summer, said Wayne Jefferies, president of the Archuleta Cattlemen’s Society.
“We were behind the eight ball until September on our irrigation water,” Jefferies said. “We thought we were going to have a dry year. We may still have a drier year, but those rains there at the end of September made a big difference on what’s in the lakes.”
Lemon and Vallecito reservoirs are now nearly three-quarters full – a significant improvement from projections at the end of last summer.
Still, Jefferies said a lack of snowfall remains concerning. If dry conditions persist into early 2026, reservoir levels alone may not be enough to offset reduced snowmelt.
Ranchers – who often joke that they are “grass farmers” – rely heavily on snowmelt to recharge underground moisture that supports healthy forage growth.
Beneath the surface, soil and gravel layers act like a sponge, Jefferies said. Snowmelt is needed to saturate that sponge before irrigation water and rain can effectively reach grasses.
Without sufficient snow and spring runoff, those underground layers remain dry, he said. When irrigation begins, much of the water is absorbed below ground, leaving less available for grasses to grow. The result can be weaker forage, reduced grazing capacity and added strain on ranching operations.
Jefferies added this isn’t new. Southwest Colorado has experienced persistent drought conditions for much of the past two decades, punctuated by only brief periods of relief.
Water managers, meanwhile, are entering winter in a stronger position than usual thanks to the fall floods.
The October flooding caused reservoirs to rise rapidly. Vallecito Reservoir, which stores water for the Pine River Irrigation District, rose 25 feet in just a few days, said Ken Beck, PRID superintendent.
The surplus of water reserves after a dry summer is a good buffer for next year, and has eased the stress of relying solely on winter precipitation, Beck said, although water supply is always subject to some degree of uncertainty
“We’re in a better position than usual, but we aren’t letting our guard down,” Beck said. The district is managing releases carefully under a community agreement and monitoring forecasts closely as winter progresses.
“I would probably not be really candid or honest with you if I told you I wouldn’t be some concerned about it (the warm winter weather),” Beck said. “But boy, there’s a lot of winter left. We’ve got January, February, March. We get some of our biggest snowstorms in April. I’m breathing a whole lot easier, and I’m feeling a lot less stress having that extra water in there.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
