{"id":1083,"date":"2026-03-26T15:46:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/?p=1083"},"modified":"2026-03-26T16:15:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T16:15:35","slug":"an-unprecedented-spring-heat-wave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/an-unprecedented-spring-heat-wave\/","title":{"rendered":"An unprecedented spring heat wave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last week\u2019s heat wave was record-smashing, extraordinary, and impossible to ignore. Given that temperatures were more typical of what we\u2019d expect in June, we\u2019ll try not to judge you if you felt the need to turn on your A\/C. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this blog post, we\u2019ll provide some climate context on last week\u2019s mind-boggling temperatures and touch on the current drought and snowpack situation. And while we\u2019ll focus on the heat from last week here, it\u2019s worth noting that yesterday, March 25, featured yet another round of record-breaking temperatures across Colorado, including new March high temperature records in Denver (87\u00b0F) and Grand Junction (88\u00b0F).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widespread, eye-popping warmth<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For pretty much all of Colorado, last week brought the warmest March temperatures ever recorded. There were far more stations in the state that broke all-time monthly high records for March than did not. Here\u2019s a look at the records that were set at some of our long-term climate sites: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
March maximum temperature records at various long-term weather stations throughout Colorado. Data from ACIS.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the graph above, you\u2019ll see that we didn\u2019t just break previous monthly records by a small margin; new records were set by several degrees. It would be noteworthy to have new daily climate records were set by these kinds of margins, but to see monthly records shattered by more than 5\u00b0F across numerous stations is truly remarkable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way of looking at this is by comparing the highest temperature observed this March (through the 22nd<\/sup>) to the highest temperature observed in all Marches from 1951\u20142025 in a gridded temperature dataset (in this case, NOAA\u2019s nClimGrid). Nearly the entire state is red, meaning this March broke the previous record over this time period. (The main exception is at the highest elevations, where it was slightly warmer in March 1987.) Furthermore, most of the state saw temperatures at least 5\u00b0F higher than had previously been seen in March. The all-time March record for Colorado of 96\u00b0F at Holly in 1907 was not broken, but was tied at numerous locations including La Junta, Burlington, Campo, and Walsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Warmest day in March 2026 (through March 22nd) compared to the warmest day in all Marches between 1951-2025. Data from NCEI nclimgrid. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To put an even bigger exclamation point on these incredible records, there were several places in Colorado that not only set new all-time records for March, but they also saw warmer temperatures than their all-time records for April.<\/em> This includes places like Alamosa (new March record of 83\u00b0F; current April record is 80\u00b0F) and Fort Collins (new March record of 91\u00b0F; current April record is 89\u00b0F). Comparing last week\u2019s temperatures to records since 1951, you\u2019ll notice that most of the Front Range Urban Corridor, San Luis Valley, and lower elevations in southeastern Colorado saw warmer temperatures than any March or April day in the past 70+ years:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Same as the previous map, but the warmest March 2026 day is compared to the warmest April days in 1951-2025. Data from NCEI nclimgrid. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you might expect, the kind of heat that we saw last week across Colorado is more typical of June or even July. In Fort Collins, the reading of 91\u00b0F on March 21 marked Fort Collins\u2019s earliest 90\u00b0F or warmer day (the previous record was May 5, set back in 2000). On average, Fort Collins doesn\u2019t see its first 90\u00b0F or warmer day until June 15:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Caption: Dates of first 90\u00b0F or warmer day in Fort Collins from 1895-present. The blue dashed line shows the 1991-2020 mean 90\u00b0F or warmer day, which is June 9. Data from ACIS.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last week\u2019s heat was not only remarkable in terms of intensity but also longevity. The most significant heat occurred across four days (March 18-21). Over that period, several locations set new monthly records every one of those days, with each day being warmer than the last. This was a common theme throughout much of the western US: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Number of March 2026 days that set or broke monthly March records. From Brian Brettschneider<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Colorado, this long-lasting, remarkable heat was far beyond anything we\u2019ve seen in March. Comparing last week\u2019s heat to previous March \u201cheat waves\u201d (defined as days with the warmest 4-day averaged temperatures), it was a step far above the rest. Statewide averaged temperatures during March 18-21, 2026 period were nearly 5\u00b0F warmer than Colorado\u2019s 2nd<\/sup>-warmest March heatwave (March 23-26, 2004):  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Colorado\u2019s top-25 March heat waves since 1951, defined as 4-day averaged statewide temperatures. Colorado\u2019s warmest heat wave (set last week, March 18-21) eclipsed its previous warmest heat wave (March 23-26, 2004) by nearly 5\u00b0F. Data from NCEI nclimgrid.  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snowpack is rapidly declining<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most concerning consequences of last week\u2019s is the impact to our snowpack. If you\u2019ve been following along throughout the winter, then you\u2019re well-aware that Colorado has been seeing its worst snowpack in at least 45 years. And the very warm conditions over the past week have exacerbated an already bad situation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking at the statewide water-year-to-date snowpack in the SNOTEL network, it\u2019s clear that snow water equivalent has taken a massive nosedive over the past week or so. On average, Colorado\u2019s peak snowpack date is April 7, meaning that we should still be seeing snowpack accumulate in late March. Instead, averaged over the state, snow water equivalent has declined <\/em>by over 2.5 inches in the last week. We typically don\u2019t see snowpack melt this quickly until May, so to observe this trend so early in the season is highly concerning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Statewide snow water equivalent based on the SNOTEL network as of March 25. The black line shows statewide snow water equivalent for Water Year 2026. From NRCS<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Statewide snowpack currently sits at 38% of the 1991-2020 median. Given the current conditions and forecasts, it\u2019s very possible that many locations have already seen their peak snowpack. Every major river basin in the state is running way-below average, with 71 of the 92 active SNOTEL stations reporting their lowest values on record: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Percent of average (1991-2020) snow water equivalent in Colorado\u2019s major river basins. From NRCS<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a previous blog post<\/a>, we discussed that a combination of SNOTEL data (dating back to the 1980s) and manual snow measurements (dating back to the 1930s) have been used to evaluate how this year\u2019s snowpack stacks up against past winters. Throughout much of the winter, the story has been that this year\u2019s snowpack is very bad, but it hasn\u2019t been quite as bad as the winters of 1976-77 and 1980-81. However, with last week\u2019s rapid early season melting, conditions have deteriorated further. We’ll wait for official confirmation from snow course data at the end of the month, <\/strong>but current data suggests that we’re now sitting at Colorado’s worst snowpack on record, surpassing the winters of 1976-77 and 1980-81.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drought conditions are deteriorating<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When discussing the drought landscape, all eyes have been on the major snow deficits in Colorado\u2019s mountain areas, but that isn\u2019t the only part of the state that\u2019s been seeing worsening drought conditions. Most of Colorado\u2019s lower elevations have also seen substantial precipitation deficits in recent months. As such, drought conditions throughout the state have worsened and expanded over the past few months.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Per the latest US Drought Monitor, approximately 91% of the state is experiencing at least abnormally dry conditions, and ~74% of Colorado is experiencing drought (D1 or worse). Those numbers have increased from 54% and 45%, respectively, since the start of the water year on October 1, 2025.  The recent warmth brought particularly large changes to the drought monitor last week, as Colorado\u2019s exceptional drought or worse area (D3 or higher) nearly doubled from ~13% last week to ~24% in the latest drought monitor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
US Drought Monitor<\/a> for March 24, 2026 (left) compared to September 30, 2025 (right). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Consequences from the low snowpack are growing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Impacts from this year\u2019s low snowpack are increasing as governments agencies and industries that rely on it are beginning to respond and plan for additional effects. The expanding drought (in part due to the low snowpack) has prompted the Colorado Governor\u2019s Office to activate the State Drought Task Force<\/a> for the first time since 2020. Utility departments and water managers have begun to initiate drought response plans<\/a> and implement water restrictions<\/a>. And ski areas are planning to close earlier than expected<\/a> due to poor conditions. Unfortunately, as we anticipate well-below average runoff this spring, impacts will likely expand further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Colorado Basin River Forecast Center percent of average water supply modeled forecast (issued March 25), showing that widespread, well-below average conditions are expected. From the CBRFC<\/a>.  
 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The one piece of potential good news that we\u2019ll end this post with is a pattern shift is likely in early April, which is expected to bring precipitation chances to Colorado. While the moisture won\u2019t be nearly enough to make up for the major deficits we\u2019ve seen accumulate over the last several months, I think we can all agree that we\u2019ll take anything we can get.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week\u2019s heat wave was record-smashing, extraordinary, and impossible to ignore. Given that temperatures were more typical of what we\u2019d expect in June, we\u2019ll try not to judge you if you felt the need to turn on your A\/C. \ud83d\ude42 In this blog post, we\u2019ll provide some climate context on last week\u2019s mind-boggling temperatures and touch on the current drought and snowpack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,49,40,63,13],"tags":[50,41,23,16],"class_list":["post-1083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-context","category-drought","category-heat","category-snowpack","category-temperature","tag-drought","tag-heat","tag-snowpack","tag-temperature"],"yoast_head":"\nAn unprecedented spring heat wave - Colorado Climate Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2026\/03\/26\/an-unprecedented-spring-heat-wave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An unprecedented spring heat wave - 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