It has been more than a decade, but the September 2013 flood remains one of the most remarkable weather events in Colorado history. From September 11–15, 2013, an extraordinary combination of atmospheric moisture, slow-moving storms and terrain produced historic rainfall… Read More »The September 2013 Flood: When Colorado’s Front Range Was Buried in Rain
Hurricane Polo has quickly become one of the most remarkable tropical cyclones of 2026. The eastern Pacific storm underwent an extraordinary period of rapid intensification, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in roughly 24 hours. At… Read More »Hurricane Polo: An Extraordinary Storm in an Unusual 2026 Hurricane Season
There is something special about fall in Colorado. The mountains turn shades of gold, orange and red, the air becomes cooler, and some of the state’s most scenic landscapes come alive. But in 2026, the timing could be a little… Read More »Colorado Fall Foliage Could Arrive Early This Year
After a summer marked by heat and wildfire concerns, Colorado may have some encouraging weather ahead. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is favoring above-normal precipitation across much of Colorado this fall, including September, and a strengthening El Niño could help… Read More »Could Colorado Get a Wet Finish to Monsoon Season? El Niño May Be Setting the Stage
With several large wildfires burning across Colorado in recent weeks—particularly the Aspen Acres Fire—many people have been watching weather forecasts more closely than usual. While firefighters, aircraft, and heavy equipment are often the most visible parts of a wildfire response,… Read More »How Meteorologists Help Fight Colorado’s Wildfires
If it feels like Colorado has been unusually warm this year, you’re not imagining it. Through the first seven months of 2026, Denver has recorded its warmest January through July on record, continuing weather observations that date back to 1872.… Read More »Colorado’s Hottest Start to a Year on Record
When people hear the word “monsoon,” they often imagine days or even weeks of continuous downpours. But if you’ve spent a summer in Colorado, you know that’s not exactly what happens here. Instead, Colorado’s monsoon season typically means sunny mornings,… Read More »Colorado’s Monsoon Season Has Begun: Here’s What That Actually Means
Today marks the official start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The summer solstice, which falls on June 20 or 21 each year, brings the longest day of the year and the highest sun angle before daylight slowly begins… Read More »The First Day of Summer in Colorado: What Does It Usually Look Like?
After an exceptionally dry start to 2026, Colorado has finally seen a much wetter weather pattern over the past several weeks. Repeated rounds of rain, cooler temperatures, and cloudy days have helped improve conditions along parts of the Front Range… Read More »Colorado’s Wet Spring Has Helped Drought — But Much of the State Still Needs More Moisture
After months of neutral conditions in the Pacific Ocean, the Climate Prediction Center is increasingly confident that El Niño is on the way. In fact, there is now an 82% chance El Niño develops by this summer and a 96%… Read More »What Is El Niño — And What Could It Mean for Colorado?
If it feels like spring has been unusually nice this year across Colorado — you’re not imagining it. The past few months have brought warmer-than-normal temperatures and very little snow, leaving many wondering: Is it finally safe to plant flowers… Read More »Warm, Dry, and Deceptive: What May Weather Means for Colorado
If the past couple of days felt extreme, that’s because they were — and the culprit is one of the most fascinating (and powerful) weather features in the U.S.: the dry line. Across Colorado, conditions turned dangerously dry, with single-digit… Read More »What Is a Dry Line? And Why Colorado Was Bone-Dry While Oklahoma Saw Tornadoes
If you follow severe weather forecasts, you’ve probably seen the colorful maps issued by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. These Convective Outlooks highlight where severe thunderstorms are possible across the United States days in advance. Starting March 3, 2026, the… Read More »The Storm Prediction Center Just Updated Its Severe Weather Outlooks. Here’s What Coloradans Should Know.
In Colorado, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can mean anything from wearing a winter coat to enjoying a patio beer in the sunshine. The weather in Denver on March 17 has a long history of surprising residents, and this year looks… Read More »From Snowstorms to Sunshine: What Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Weather Is Usually Like — and How 2026 Compares
If you’ve lived in Colorado long enough, you know March is… dramatic. One day it’s 70° and sunny on your patio. The next? Blizzard conditions, hurricane-force wind gusts, and a rapidly deepening low-pressure system that meteorologists call bombogenesis. Yes —… Read More »💣 Bombogenesis in Colorado
February 2026 will go down as one of the most unusual winter months in Denver’s climate history. Not only are we finishing the month with one of the lowest February snowfall totals on record, but we’ve also seen record warmth,… Read More »One of Denver’s Worst Februarys for Snow on Record — What It Means for March
Colorado sits at the crossroads of dramatically different air masses, which is why our weather can change so quickly—and sometimes violently. From Arctic cold snaps to springtime severe storms and summer monsoon moisture, understanding air masses helps explain why Colorado’s… Read More »Air Masses Explained: Why They Matter So Much for Colorado’s Weather
For a state whose water supply, agriculture, rivers, and ski industry hinge on mountain snow, the early months of the 2025–26 snow season have been deeply concerning. From the Front Range to the high country, Colorado’s snowpack is lagging badly… Read More »Colorado’s Snowpack Is Off to One of Its Worst Starts in Years
If you’ve lived in Denver long enough, you know Christmas Day weather can swing wildly—from deep Arctic cold and blizzards to sunshine and warm afternoons. While the idea of a classic “white Christmas” is deeply rooted in holiday tradition, Denver’s… Read More »Denver’s Christmas Day Weather: What’s Normal, What’s Extreme, and What To Expect This Year
Yesterday didn’t just break expectations along the Front Range — it shattered them. On December 19, the Boulder area was placed under a PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Fire Weather Alert, a designation rarely used and almost never seen in December.… Read More »A Narrow Miss: Inside Colorado’s Rare PDS Fire Weather Event
Thanksgiving 2025 arrived on the mild side for Denver, continuing a trend of relatively quiet late-November holidays. The official high on Thursday, November 27, was 56°F, with a morning low of 18°F. That puts this year’s holiday slightly warmer than… Read More »Thanksgiving 2025: Warm Plates, Cold Mornings, and a Late First Snow for Denver
If you lived in Colorado during the winter of 2019, chances are you still remember it — the relentless storms, the towering snowbanks, and the constant rumble of avalanche control bombs echoing through the mountains. That season wasn’t just snowy… Read More »The Winter That Buried the Rockies: Colorado’s Historic Avalanche Season of 2019
As Denver flips the calendar to November, residents are starting to wonder—where’s the snow? The Mile High City, famous for its unpredictable weather and sudden winter swings, has yet to record its first measurable snowfall of the season. While it’s… Read More »Still Waiting for Snow: Denver’s Unusual Start to Winter 2025
For the first time in more than 10 years, the United States has seen an official EF-5 tornado rating — the highest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale — following new analysis of a devastating June 20, 2025, tornado near Enderlin,… Read More »U.S. Sees First EF-5 Tornado in Over a Decade: The Enderlin, North Dakota Tornado Officially Upgraded
Colorado is waking up to hazy skies this weekend as wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest settles across much of the state. A cold front that pushed through late this week brought the smoke with it, and many communities—especially in… Read More »Smoke Engulfs Colorado as Wildfire Haze Drifts from the Pacific Northwest
Labor Day weekend often marks the unofficial transition from summer to fall in Colorado, and Denver’s weather history shows that the holiday can bring just about anything—from triple-digit heat to jacket-worthy chill. A Look at Denver’s 2025 Labor Day On… Read More »Denver’s Labor Day Climate: How 2025 Compared to History
If you’ve ever stepped outside on a hot Colorado summer day and thought, “It feels hotter than that,” you’re not imagining things — you’re feeling the heat index at work. And while Coloradans often enjoy low humidity, heat index becomes… Read More »Heat Index Explained: Why It Can Feel Hotter Than the Thermometer Says
On Saturday, July 31, 1976, Colorado was celebrating its centennial year of statehood. Families and tourists flocked to the Big Thompson Canyon to enjoy one of the state’s most breathtaking natural landmarks. Nestled between Loveland and Estes Park, the canyon… Read More »The 1976 Big Thompson Flood: Colorado’s Most Devastating Natural Disaster
When most Coloradans hear the word monsoon, they often think of Asia’s torrential downpours — but few realize that we experience a monsoon season of our own. Known as the North American Monsoon, this seasonal shift brings moisture, thunderstorms, flash… Read More »What Monsoon Season Means for Colorado: A Deep Dive into the North American Monsoon
On the evening of July 28, 1997, the city of Fort Collins, Colorado, experienced one of the most devastating natural disasters in its history. An intense, nearly stationary thunderstorm hovered over the western part of the city for about four… Read More »The 1997 Fort Collins Flood: A Tragic Night That Transformed Weather Monitoring
After a stretch of scorching summer heat, Coloradans are finally getting some relief. A cooler and more unsettled weather pattern is moving into the state starting today and continuing through Friday, bringing increased chances of rain, thunderstorms, and noticeably cooler… Read More »Relief From the Heat: Cooler, Wetter Pattern Returns to Colorado
Recently, tragic flash flooding in Texas has claimed several lives and left many communities shattered. Our hearts and prayers are with the families impacted. It’s a painful reminder of how dangerous sudden floods can be — a threat that Coloradans,… Read More »Flash Floods in Colorado: A Deadly Force That Demands Respect
NOAA’s Next Generation Fire System delivers fire alerts in under a minute — and Colorado could be next in line to benefit. Colorado’s wildfire seasons are getting longer, drier, and more dangerous — but now, an experimental satellite-based technology is… Read More »Satellites to the Rescue: New Wildfire Detection Tech Changing the Game for Firefighters Across the U.S.
Coloradans are no strangers to wildfires, but this past weekend, just across the border in Utah, Mother Nature upped the ante with a rare and dramatic twist—a fire-induced tornado. On Saturday, July 12, within the growing Deer Creek Fire near… Read More »A Rare and Fiery Phenomenon: EF2 Fire-Tornado Churns Near Utah Wildfire
July 4, 2025 brought a near-classic summer day to Denver, landing right around historical averages with a high of 87°F and a low of 65°F. While not record-setting in any way, it leaned warmer than average on the low end… Read More »How Did This Year’s Independence Day Weather in Denver Stack Up Historically?
On the afternoon of May 8, 2017, the skies over metro Denver darkened—not just with clouds, but with a supercell storm that would go on to make history. What began as a thunderstorm brewing in the foothills west of Denver… Read More »Mayhem in the Mile High City: Colorado’s Second-Costliest Hailstorm on Record
If 2024 taught us anything, it’s that severe weather in the United States is not slowing down. From relentless spring tornado outbreaks to hurricanes spawning dozens of twisters, last year was one of the most intense and active severe weather… Read More »2024 Was One of the Most Extreme Severe Weather Years in U.S. History – Will 2025 Top It?
There are few sights as awe-inspiring—and as dangerous—as a crackling bolt of lightning cutting across Colorado’s big sky. Whether you’re watching from the foothills or the Front Range, lightning is a powerful force of nature that can turn deadly in… Read More »How Lightning Works
June 20, 2025: A Perfect Example of a Classic Colorado Solstice Every year around June 20 or 21, the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, marking the summer solstice—the longest day of the year. In Colorado, especially in… Read More »What The Summer Solstice Usually Feels Like in Colorado
Coloradans know extreme weather. From June hailstorms in Denver to triple-digit temps on the Eastern Plains and red flag days in the San Luis Valley, we’ve seen it all. But this month, even by Western standards, something unprecedented happened —… Read More »Alaska Issues First-Ever Heat Advisory
If you’ve lived in Colorado for more than a season, there’s a good chance you’ve heard hail rattle your roof, crack your car windshield, or shred your garden. From the Eastern Plains to the Denver Metro and up into the… Read More »How Hail Happens: A Colorado Guide to the Science Behind the Stones
On the evening of June 4, 2015, a rare and powerful tornado struck along the Boulder-Larimer county line in northern Colorado. Rated an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, the tornado brought estimated wind speeds of up to 140 mph… Read More »Colorado’s Strongest Foothills Tornado: The Rare EF3 of June 4, 2015
May has been an active month for severe weather across Colorado. From the Eastern Plains to the Front Range, residents have witnessed both tornadoes and landspouts—two similar-looking but fundamentally different phenomena. While both can be dangerous and share the classic… Read More »Tornadoes vs. Landspouts: What Coloradans Should Know After a Stormy May
A powerful supercell thunderstorm swept across northeast Colorado on the afternoon of Friday, May 23, 2025, spawning three tornadoes across Logan and Washington counties, including an EF-2 tornado that caused significant damage in rural areas. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.… Read More »Three Tornadoes Touch Down in Northeast Colorado on May 23, 2025
On Sunday, May 18, 2025, a significant tornado outbreak impacted the central U.S. Plains, including a cluster of damaging tornadoes just south and east of Denver, Colorado. Four tornadoes touched down in rapid succession during the early afternoon hours, two… Read More »Tornado Outbreak Hits Colorado on May 18, 2025, as Severe Weather Sweeps the Plains
May 26, 2025 — DENVER, CO If you’re looking out your window in Denver today and wondering if someone accidentally swapped Memorial Day for a moody April afternoon, you’re not alone. After a soggy and cool weekend, this Memorial Day… Read More »Memorial Day in Colorado: A Cool, Rainy Pause in a Holiday Known for Its Weather Swings
As Coloradans know all too well, wildfire season is no longer just a summer concern—it’s a year-round threat. On April 24, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) presented its 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Plan to Governor Jared Polis,… Read More »Colorado’s 2025 Fire Weather Outlook: What to Expect
Spring and fall in Colorado are known for rapid weather changes, snow one day and sunshine the next. But there’s another atmospheric oddity that occasionally spins through our skies — the cold air funnel cloud. What Are Cold Air Funnels?… Read More »Colorado Skies and Cold Air Funnels: What Are They?
As spring blooms across the Centennial State, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has recently dropped its 2025 Spring Outlook — and it’s a must-read for Coloradans. From warmer temperatures to shifting drought patterns, here’s what you need to know to stay… Read More »Spring 2025 Climate Outlook: What’s in Store for Colorado?
As summer edges closer and Colorado gears up for warmer days, the National Weather Service (NWS) is rolling out a major update to how it warns us about extreme heat. As of March 4, 2025, the terms we’ve known for… Read More »Heat Alerts Just Got a Makeover: What Coloradans Need to Know
