How Hot Was Colorado This Summer?

Summer has come and gone, and this year in Colorado was unlike any summer that residents have witnessed. After a warm winter, a hot and dry summer followed, and many bodies of water dried up in a way that most Coloradans have never seen. Lakes were shut down due to low water levels, fish smells took over the air, and some ponds and lakes completely disappeared. It was a hot summer, but was it the hottest summer in the history of Colorado, and what was the average temperature this year during the summer months?

Hot Summer Temperatures in Colorado

Typically during the summer, many will escape to Colorado to get away from the heat in their state and look to go to the mountains to cool off. This past summer, that plan didn't work, as the state had a hotter summer than normal. Typically during June, July, and August, Colorado averages temperatures of 64.5 degrees. That may seem low, but consider the high elevations in the mountains and the cool mornings and nights. This summer, that was not the average, though, as those three months saw an average temperature of 69.4 degrees this year. That would make this the hottest summer recorded in Colorado since 1895, with August recording the hottest month in history with an average temperature of 70.6 degrees.

The Hottest Summer in Colorado

Colorado saw the third-highest jump in temperature, with a jump of 4.9 degrees. Only New Mexico and Utah saw bigger jumps this summer. The country as a whole saw an average temperature jump of 3 degrees this year, with a countrywide average of 74.4 degrees, which would make this the hottest summer nationwide since records began back in 1895. Many states saw the consequences of the heat, including in Colorado, where the lack of water and food led to wildlife making its way into towns in search of something to drink and eat. Many are hoping for a wet and cold winter to offset the hot summer, but sadly there is no guarantee that it will happen.

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For more on the hottest summer in Colorado in the last 100 years, make sure to click the link in the second paragraph above. The good news is that the summer months are gone and temperatures are beginning to cool off, but now Colorado will wait to see if winter mirrors last year's, or if there is hope for normal winter weather coming this year.

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