The monsoon season is off to a promising but intense start in Montezuma County.
It began right on schedule, on July 13, according to longtime local weather observer James Andrus.
He said in just nine days, as of Thursday morning, it had delivered 1.43 inches of rain in Cortez.
That amount has already surpassed the historic average for the month of July of 1.25 inches. Much of that moisture fell on Tuesday afternoon during a tempestuous rain and hail storm.
Andrus told KSJD that rain then was falling at a rate of two inches per hour, although it only lasted for a half hour. During that time, a total of 0.58 of an inch poured down.
Marble-sized hail knocked leaves off trees and destroyed many local gardens, and fierce winds blew down some trees.
Andrus said it was the most severe hailstorm he had seen since August 1995, more than 30 years ago. He estimated the wind speed on Main Street at 40 miles per hour.
July was also noticeable for seeing a high temperature of 102 degrees on July 11, which tied the Cortez all-time high temperature. That record has been tied numerous times in the past, according to Andrus.
Cortez City Manager Drew Sanders told KSJD the wind and hail caused private property damage city-wide, with the worst around Tucker Lane and Brandon’s Gate on the city’s north side.
He said some city facilities had minor roof leaks and the golf course sustained some hail damage to the greens.
Many branches were broken in city parks and a couple of trees near the Police Department were blown down.
Sanders said it will probably take until Friday afternoon to finish cleaning up the branch and leaf litter, but he praised the city crews for working to do it rapidly.
“They were on it right that afternoon after the storm,” Sanders said, “and it looked significantly better by 6 or 7 o’clock that night.”
