As the unusually high temperatures this week came to an end Thursday, a winter storm watch will be in effect Friday afternoon through late Saturday night.
Snow accumulations across Colorado will vary greatly, and there’s still uncertainty over the precipitation type (snow vs. rain) and storm track, but here’s what we know so far from the National Weather Service:
Spring-like temperatures are above the climate normal at this time of the year
Thursday’s high temperature was forecast to reach 62 degrees Fahrenheit — a whopping 17 degrees warmer than the normal high for Feb. 1 in Fort Collins.
NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information calculates 30-year climate averages to form a baseline of what is considered “normal” for a particular day or month at a specific location. These baselines are updated every decade, with the most recent one calculated for 1991-2020.
For the low temperature Thursday, Denver is observing a Climate Shift Index of 2. This index, which was developed by the nonprofit Climate Central, reveals “how much climate change influences the temperature on a particular day.” Fort Collins is not listed in the index.