Colorado Climate Center

Water Year 2026 was one for the record books in Colorado. It was our warmest on record by a substantial margin, and it was also one of our driest. Our Water Year 2026 summary covers the records, trends, and impacts that were recorded across Colorado over the past 12 months. Read it here! ⬇️

Long-term stations across the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado had their wettest 2-day period on record from the recent storms. (Yes, those numbers are correct, 2 to 2.5" in two days is record-breaking; the SLV is typically a very dry place!) #cowx

Preliminary observations from the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs show that the flood crest above 15 feet this morning even exceeded the major floods from last October. Still below the flood of record from October 1911, however. #cowx

The state's flood threat bulletin highlights a 'high impact threat' in La Plata and Archuleta Counties with continued rain today and tonight. Several flash flood warnings are already in effect in western Colorado. www.coloradofloodthreat.com/flood_threat...

"2026 Water Year report highlights record-setting heat, dry conditions across Colorado" from CSU SOURCE

Moderate risk of excessive rainfall for tomorrow (Thursday) in parts of southwestern Colorado that have already received a lot of rain in September and October. #cowx

Colorado, plus adjacent areas of western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, got much-needed widespread rains this week. Colorado saw one- and two-category areas of improvement, although the northeastern part of the state missed out on the rains and saw some degradation.

September was extremely warm in Colorado, just shy of the monthly record. Sept also turned rainy in southern CO—record wet in spots! Link to our Sept summary below, and stay tuned for a full Water Year 2026 summary next week. [Spoiler: it was the warmest water year on record for Colorado—by a lot.]

🌧️ Today marks the first day of Water Year 2027! What is a Water Year and why do water managers and climatologists use them? Check out our thread below ⬇️

For a run-down of current drought conditions and where El Niño may take us in the coming months, tune in to the September state Water Conditions Monitoring Committee meeting later this morning: cwcb.colorado.gov/Water-Condit... #cowx

August 2026 was our warmest on record: our 3rd record-warm month in this calendar year and the 4th for Water Year 2026. Last month featured a mix of worsening drought and localized flash flooding, as well as two tragic weather-related fatalities. Check out out our latest monthly summary for more:

NOAA data confirms that we just went through the warmest August and the warmest climatological summer (June-July-August) on record for Colorado. Stay tuned for our monthly summary (coming soon!) which will include stats on the many, many records broken this summer. #cowx

The seasonality of extreme warmth was really stretched this year in Fort Collins. Back in March we had our first 90°F day forty-five (45) days earlier than one had ever been observed. Then yesterday (Aug 21) it reached 101°F, which is nearly 3 weeks later than any previous 100-degree day. #cowx

2026 WARMTH CONTINUES 🌡️ Boulder hit 101° on Friday, breaking the daily record high for August 21st (98° | 2023) This was the city's 7th 100°+ day and 25th 95°+ day of 2026, both new all-time calendar year records This was also the 23rd daily record high set or tied in 2026 (#1 all-time) #COWx

new blog post, recapping the symposium remembering the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson flood:

Colorado Flood Threat Bulletin shows a high risk of flash flooding again today (Friday August 14) in northeastern Colorado and along the Palmer Divide. Be weather aware and stay safe! #cowx www.coloradofloodthreat.com

July is the hottest month of the year in Colorado, and this July was the 2nd hottest on record. Records were broken for both hot days and warm nights. The monsoon finally arrived, bringing welcome rain but unwelcome flash flooding. Read more in our July summary! climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

*Big* pattern change on the way later this week, as the ridge of high pressure and heat finally fades and rain chances increase considerably statewide. Here's hoping for some real drought relief (and minimal flash flooding). #cowx

Professor and Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher presented at the @climate.colostate.edu's symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood held in Estes Park, Colorado.

Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! Here's one of our favorite maps: average annual precipitation with color shading inspired by the state flag. It nicely illustrates the many variations in weather and climate across our beautiful state. 🎂🥳

Significant flash flooding yesterday in multiple parts of Colorado, including the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres burn scars, resulting in debris flows, road closures, and evacuations #cowx

New blog post: have you ever looked at the US Drought Monitor and wondered how the map gets put together? This post describes the methods that underpin drought monitoring, along with some of the challenges of depicting all types of drought on a single map.

Extreme heat warning for parts of western Colorado through Monday: “Dangerously hot conditions with prolonged afternoon temperatures in the 100 to 106 range this weekend into early next week. Warm night time temperatures will bring little to no relief overnight.” #cowx

Join the @climate.colostate.edu on Friday, July 31 at the Estes Valley Community Center. A suite of invited experts will look back on the history, meteorology, hydrology, and warning systems the day of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. climate.colostate.edu/blog/index.p...

Warm and dry conditions returned to Colorado in June, with several fast-growing fires starting late in the month. June is also the typical peak for severe thunderstorms in Colorado, and this year was no exception. Read more in our monthly climate summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

Monsoon rains are on the horizon, experts say. Will they arrive soon enough to dampen fire risk?

new blog post: where do things stand with the drought in Colorado, and where are we headed? #cowx

The @climate.colostate.edu supports Colorado through alarming drought conditions. With three-quarters of the state in severe drought, Colorado’s Drought Task Force is leaning on Professor Russ Schumacher for regular updates on statewide conditions. engr.source.colostate.edu/colorado-cli...

It was a pretty normal May across Colorado, which might have felt unusual after all the warmth recently. May concluded the warmest spring on record for Colorado. There was beneficial rainfall (and snowfall!) but drought persisted. More in our May summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

Critical fire weather in western Colorado each day from today (Saturday) through Tuesday, with hot, dry, and windy conditions. Graphic from NWS Grand Junction (www.weather.gov/media/gjt/Ds...) #cowx

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declares statewide drought emergency

Colorado officials call for more state actions to combat impacts of drought

Updates from this week's state Water Conditions Monitoring Committee meeting, including the flash drought in southeastern Colorado and the welcome rain in northern Colorado, in this @coloradosun.com story.

Severe thunderstorm activity will be ramping up in eastern Colorado this weekend, right on time in mid-May. Here’s a blog post from a couple years ago with the where and when of Colorado severe weather, along with where to get timely information. #cowx

Colorado’s Drought Task Force ramps up response to record-breaking conditions

After a record-shattering March, April seemed at least a little more normal in Colorado. But it was again warmer than average. Flash drought set in across the eastern Plains. Mountain snowmelt slowed, but remained record low. Read more in our April 2026 summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

9 years ago today, the costliest hailstorm in U.S. and Colorado history pummeled the west side of the Denver metro area. An estimated 150k auto insurance claims came in after baseball-size hail blasted Wheat Ridge, Arvada, and Lakewood. It destroyed the Colorado Mills mall. What do you remember?