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Colorado Weather

Colorado Weather / Climate

Eastern Plains

The climate of the Eastern Plains is partly dry with low moisture and adequate rainfall, usually ranging from 380 to 630 mm yearly. This region is well-known for its plentiful sunlight and cool clear nights, giving it the maximum average daytime temperature range in the US. During summers, temperatures go beyond 95 °F, sometime crossing 100 °F; 105 °F being the maximum limit in the Front Range cities above 5,000 ft. (1,500 m). In the plains, the temperature in winters range from extreme 0°F to -15 °F. The lowest temperature recorded till now in this area was -40 °F. About 75% of the rain falls during the crop growing season ofApril to September, but this area is very inclined to dearth and droughts. Most of the rainfall is due to severe storms, (which are, most of the time, very severe) and from blizzards that usually occur in the first spring, late autumn, and sometimes in winter also. Winters are usually dry and cold, March and April being the snowy months. The months of April and May normally get heavy rainfalls; April being the dampest month overall. Chinook Winds keep those cities warmer, which are closer to the Front Range Mountains in winter carrying temperatures of 40 °F or higher in the winter. The morning temperature in July is normally around 55 °F and in the afternoon it is around 80 °F. The ordinary morning temperature in January keeps around 10 °F and in the afternoon it keeps around 30 °F, while disparity of temperatures amid successive days can be around 40 °F.

Western Plains and Foothills

The temperatures in the western plains and foothills are not uniform all around.It may happen that there is altogether a different weather in different places which are only a few miles at a distance .There is a somewhat partly dry climate in most of the valleys in western plains, becoming a hilly weather at higher altitudes. Humid conditions also exist in some areas. Normally, winter is the dampest season in west Colorado, whereas June remains a dry month for this area which is just the contrary of the temperature patterns in the east Colorado. Here the hill area face cool summers with maximum temperatures ranging from 60 °F to 70 °F. Sometimes the temperatures in summers can drop too due to recurring storms. Nights in summers are cool in plains and colder at high altitudes sometimes getting snow in the mid summers. Powdery and abundant snowfall along with plenty of sunshine during two storms is a major feature of the winters in the hill areas of western Colorado.

Extreme Weather

The adverse weather conditions area usual feature of the weather of Colorado. Thunderstorms are normal on the eastern side of the Continental divide during spring and summer season. Colorado is a leading state in mortality due to lightning. Rain in the mountains on the east to the continental divide and northwest Colorado are a common feature. The Eastern Plains of North America have faced some of the biggest hail storms; apart from being a part of the Cyclone Path the eastern plains have produced some of the lethal U.S. cyclones including the 1990 Limon F3 tornado and the 2008 Windsor EF3 tornado. Severe floods are also a common feature of the plains, caused sometimes by storms and sometimes by the fast melting of snow in the Alps in warm weather. Most of the Colorado is quite a dry state with average rain of only 17 inches per year and is most of the time under the condition of drought. The scarcity in rainfall also adds to the harshness of wildfires in the state; the Hayman Fire being the largest wildfires in American history.

Though the temperatures of eastern plains are opposite to temperatures in Western plains, there are some hill regions of Colorado which receive a huge quantity of wetness by winter snowfalls. The melting of snow cause an increase in the level of water in rivers like the Yampa River, the Grand River, the Colorado River, etc. A significant amount of water for farms, towns and cities of Colorado Water is provided by the rivers flowing out of the Rocky Mountains.

Colorado Weather Records

The highest temperature ever in Colorado was recorded at 118 °F (48 °C) on July 11, 1888, at Bennett, whereas the lowest temperature recorded was -61 °F (-51.7 °C) on February 1, 1985, at Maybell. A record of maximum and minimum temperatures of various Coloradoan cities showing month wise details is given as under:

City

Jan

 Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec
Alamosa 33/−4 40/5 50/16 59/23 68/32 78/40 82/46 79/45 72/36 62/24 46/11 35/−1
Colorado Springs 42/13 45/18 52/24 59/31 68/41 79/50 86/55 82/54 74/45 63/34 50/23 42/16
Denver 43/15 47/19 54/25 61/34 70/44 82/53 88/59 86/57 77/47 66/36 52/24 44/16
Grand Junction 37/16 45/23 56/31 64/38 74/46 87/55 96/61 92/60 83/50 67/39 50/26 39/18
Pueblo 45/14 50/19 57/26 65/34 75/45 86/54 91/59 89/58 81/49 69/35 54/22 45/15

Colorado Average High / Low Summer Temperatures

  April May June July August September
Aspen 49/20 61/29 72/34 79/40 77/39 69/32
Burlington 61/33 71/43 82/54 88/59 85/57 76/48
Denver 61/34 70/43 81/52 88/58 85/56 76/47
Durango 61/26 71/33 83/41 87/49 84/47 76/39
Steamboat Springs 51/23 62/31 72/38 77/45 75/43 68/35

Colorado Average High / Low Winter Temperatures

  October November December January February March
Aspen 58/23 42/13 33/4 31/0 35/2 40/12
Burlington 66/36 51/24 41/15 40/13 44/17 51/23
Denver 66/36 52/25 44/17 43/16 46/20 52/25
Durango 65/29 51/20 41/10 38/6 44/13 52/20
Steamboat Springs 57/26 42/16 32/7 31/5 35/7 41/14


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