Northern Colorado has seen unusually dry years and unusually warm years, but nothing quite like the combination of heat and drought that marked the past 12 months.
From October 2025 through September 2026, average temperatures were more than 2 degrees higher than in the previous warmest year on record, while precipitation totals ranked as the eighth lowest since recordkeeping began in 1895.
But relief could be on the way, according to Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher, who told attendees at Northern Water’s fall symposium last week that a developing super El Niño could bring much-needed precipitation to the region by spring…