Finally got a taste of cold weather, with more in the week ahead. Sunny days will make the below-freezing daytime temperatures feel warmer than they actually are. That’s the beauty of the high mountain desert. Here’s more for mid-January.
1. Passing of Ed Crowther
Longtime Adams State history professor Ed Crowther, Ph.D., died Sunday at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs from complications due to an injury suffered during the recent holidays. Crowther was synonymous with Adams State and Alamosa ever since joining the university as assistant professor of history in 1988. “It’s hard to believe. He was just a full-of-life kind of guy,” said Adams State communications director and longtime colleague Linda Relyea. Adams State notified the campus of Crowther’s death in email Sunday evening. “First, as a professor, and later as a friend, colleague and mentor, Dr. Crowther left a significant impact on my life as an individual and professionally as an academic,” said President David Tandberg.
2. Warmest on record
As a whole 2024 goes down as the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S. and a wet one at that, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The San Luis Valley experienced it all as well. First the national data:
- The average annual temperature of the contiguous U.S. was 55.5°F, 3.5°F above average and the warmest in the 130-year record.
Annual precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 31.58 inches, 1.66 inches above average, ranking it the wettest third of the historical record (1895–2024).
3. Warm and wet Alamosa
Here’s some local data from the same national data report:
- The average annual temperature of Alamosa was 45 degrees, making it the fourth warmest annual average temperature going back to 1895. The years 2017, 2018 and 2021 each had slightly higher average temperatures.
- Annual precipitation for Alamosa was off the charts in 2024, with 16.75 inches of total moisture. That is the highest level of precipitation Alamosa has ever experienced going back to 1895.
- No other county in the San Luis Valley was warmer than Alamosa in 2024, but all the rest had even higher total precipitation levels. Mineral County received 32.54 inches of precipitation, Conejos County 24.29 inches, Costilla County 22.53 inches, Saguache County 21.86 inches, and Rio Grande County 19.66 inches of moisture.
4. Powerschool data breach
The Alamosa School District was among the school districts affected last week by a cyber-security breach of data through PowerSchool, the education software used by some 60 million K-12 students nationally. School district superintendent Diana Jones alerted parents and families of the breach on Jan. 8 and debriefed school board members at last week’s regularly-scheduled meeting. The cyber breach, first reported by Bleeping Computer, exposed student and teacher data, primarily names and addresses, stored in the cloud-based software. “The issue is not isolated to Alamosa School District but is affecting numerous school districts globally,” Jones said.
5. On The Valley Pod: Jacob Rissler
Jacob Rissler explains his role as vice president for advancement at Adams State and the Grizzlies’ marketing push in 2025. Get to know Jake, new to the San Luis Valley, and hear about Adams’ approach for growing student enrollment.
On Monday night, Jan. 13, Adams State will introduce its new football coach, Levi Gallas, during a community session scheduled for 6 p.m. at Richardson Hall auditorium.
6. La Jara water improvements
The town of La Jara plans on replacing 32,000 feet of waterlines and adding a 300,000-gallon water tower to improve fire protection and storage as well as municipal water pressures. The project is before the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable as a funding request preview for its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
7. Embracing the cold
In 2022, there were 190 racers; 225 in 2023 and 342 last year. We’re talking about the upcoming Rio Frio 5K staged by Alamosa Parks and Recreation. The race anchors what’s become a growing three-day ice festival that includes a cross country luminara ski, the SOCO Ice Bowl featuring the best in disc golfers, a cool fire and ice bonfire, an ever-growing participation in a polar plunge, and the carving of ice sculptures throughout downtown. You could say the expanding Rio Frio 5K and Ice Festival is becoming a thing that’s attracting locals and visitors alike. It’s the type of winter event Alamosa has always wanted and now has to draw both locals and outsiders to the town’s famous cold. Here’s more from the Outdoor Citizen podcast with Rio Frio organizers Dalton Carleo and Sean Sluyter.