Community Call Center
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1885 Durango, CO 81302
Community Call Center
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1885 Durango, CO 81302
Check the latest local weather conditions including temperature, precipitation, wind, and forecast right now and into the next week in Durango and throughout La Plata County.
Check your La Plata County Weather Forecast first! Durango, Colorado and La Plata County have highly variable mountain weather. In Durango, temperatures change rapidly with elevation, and clear mornings often become afternoon thunderstorms or wind events, especially above 8,000 feet.
Visitors and residents checking Durango weather should view both short-term forecasts and local radar before hiking, skiing, climbing, hunting, or riding trails in the backcountry.
However, even the best planning cannot account for the backcountry’s inherent unpredictability. Storms can roll in unexpectedly, temperatures can plummet without warning, and conditions can shift rapidly. That’s why it’s essential to pack extra layers, rain gear, and emergency supplies regardless of the forecast. Preparedness is about expecting the unexpected and respecting nature’s power to change.
La Plata County has partnered with the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the Colorado Water Conservation Board Water, and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to acquire, install and operate a permanent weather radar station in southwest Colorado on land adjacent to the Durango-La Plata County Airport. The radar is locally owned by La Plata County.
This game-changer in preparedness for the region came on the heels of the 416 Fire in 2018 and the floods and mudslides that followed during annual monsoons. Relying on radar imagery from stations in Grand Junction, Albuquerque and Flagstaff – the closest radars until now – painted an incomplete picture of what was headed this way. This is because most of the storms that hit La Plata County and its surrounding areas form at or below 28,000 feet, which falls below eyeshot of those other radar stations.
The 416 Fire, north of Durango CO, prompted a solution to this long-recognized gap in coverage, when the Colorado Department of Local Affairs extended a $1.7 million grant to fund a significant portion of the roughly $2.6 million project, with the remainder funded by La Plata County, Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Department of Natural Resources and other local partners pitching in for its operation and maintenance.
The weather data on this page is provided by La Plata County’s state-of-the-art radar station, offering accurate, localized forecasts and real-time updates. For more detailed weather information, visit the La Plata County Gov website.
CodeRED: La Plata County Weather Alerts & Emergency Notifications
National Weather Service – Durango Forecast
Colorado Avalanche Information Center Forecast
Backcountry Weather & Safety Tips
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is a program within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Executive Director’s Office. The program is a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Friends of the CAIC (FoCAIC) a 501c3 group. The mission of the CAIC is to provide avalanche information, education and promote research for the protection of life, property and the enhancement of the state’s economy.