{"id":599,"date":"2024-12-22T23:56:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T23:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/?p=599"},"modified":"2024-12-22T17:58:57","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T17:58:57","slug":"the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/","title":{"rendered":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across Colorado, this December has been much warmer than average, a bookend to what will end up as one of the warmest years on record statewide. Except there&#8217;s one spot where December hasn&#8217;t been warm at all &#8212; very much the opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On any climate map of Colorado for December 2024, Gunnison sticks out like a sore thumb. For example, here are the high temperatures from <a href=\"https:\/\/coagmet.colostate.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CoAgMET<\/a> on Friday, December 20. Really warm for late December, including some record highs along the Front Range. But then there&#8217;s Gunnison with a high of just 22\u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"795\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.22.24\u202fAM-1024x795.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-600\" style=\"width:696px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.22.24\u202fAM-1024x795.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.22.24\u202fAM-300x233.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.22.24\u202fAM-768x596.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.22.24\u202fAM.png 1404w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>High temperatures from CoAgMET on Friday, December 20, 2024. See current data at <a href=\"https:\/\/coagmet.colostate.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/coagmet.colostate.edu<\/a><\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And here&#8217;s the departure from the average temperature for December through the 21st. Most of the state is 3-9\u00b0F warmer than average&#8230;and then there&#8217;s the bulls-eye of purple around Gunnison. For the week of December 15-21 it&#8217;s even more stark: almost the entire state in a deep red of warmth, with Gunnison again in a cold purple. Typically when we see maps like these, we get suspicious about problems with the data or a faulty thermometer, but this isn&#8217;t an error. Gunnison has truly been an anomaly in the state&#8217;s weather and climate this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" data-id=\"621\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-1024x791.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-1024x791.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-768x593.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-1536x1187.png 1536w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MonthTDeptHPRCC-CO-1-2048x1583.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" data-id=\"620\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-1024x791.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-1024x791.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-300x232.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-768x593.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-1536x1187.png 1536w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO-2048x1583.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">Departure from normal temperature: (left) December 1-21, and (right) December 15-21. Maps from the High Plains Regional Climate Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are a few more remarkable stats. From December 1-20, the climate station outside Gunnison has been <em>13 degrees colder than average<\/em>. The highest temperature reported so far in December has been 26\u00b0F; there&#8217;s never before been a December without a high above freezing. (The average high at Gunnison this time of year is in the upper 20s.) And there were 15 straight nights with low temperatures below -10\u00b0F, including record lows of -26 on November 30 and -23 on December 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"692\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM-1024x692.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-603\" style=\"width:700px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM-1024x692.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM-768x519.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM-1536x1038.png 1536w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Screenshot-2024-12-21-at-10.45.56\u202fAM.png 1616w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Daily high and low temperatures for late November and December 2024 at Gunnison, Colorado. From <a href=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/temp_graph.html\">https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/temp_graph.html<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So why is it not warming up in Gunnison?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two key factors are causing the remarkable cold, compared to the warmth the rest of the state has seen in December. The first is geography. Gunnison sits in a valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Northeast of town, the Taylor and East Rivers come together to form the Gunnison River, and the confluence with Tomichi Creek is just to the west. Cold air is known to pool in high mountain valleys like this, and the cold can be very persistent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"606\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Elevation-Profile_201306031854584001-2048x2048.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"670\" data-id=\"611\" src=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-1024x670.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-1024x670.png 1024w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-300x196.png 300w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-768x503.png 768w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-1536x1005.png 1536w, https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gunnison_modis-2048x1340.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><em>Left: Elevation map of Gunnison County, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunnisoncounty.org\/332\/Map-Costs-Gallery\">https:\/\/www.gunnisoncounty.org\/332\/Map-Costs-Gallery<\/a>. Right: MODIS satellite image on December 20, 2024, showing the snow cover in the Gunnison Valley. From <a href=\"https:\/\/ge.ssec.wisc.edu\/modis-today\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MODIS Today at the University of Wisconsin<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there&#8217;s a bunch of snow on the ground, these valley cold pools can become especially stubborn, and that&#8217;s exactly what&#8217;s happened this month. The storm just before Thanksgiving dropped over a foot of snow in the valley, and over 2 feet in the nearby mountains, among the highest totals from this storm. And even though the larger-scale air masses have been warm through December, the snow has remained in the valley (clearly visible in the satellite image above) and the air hasn&#8217;t warmed up. When there&#8217;s deep snow cover, it reflects sunlight and keeps the days cool, and also favors cold nights by insulating the air from the warmer land underneath. This creates a feedback loop where it stays cold, which means the snow doesn&#8217;t melt, which means it stays cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What&#8217;s especially unusual is that this has all happened without getting additional snowfall: Gunnison has reported only 0.5&#8243; of snow in December. The mountain snowpack has flatlined through December, and up the hill at Crested Butte they&#8217;ve even had several days above freezing. But it&#8217;s still snowy and cold in the Gunnison Valley, and will stay that way for the foreseeable future. What looks more likely is that the rest of the state will start to cool down to something resembling winter in early January, so Gunnison won&#8217;t look like such an outlier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Across Colorado, this December has been much warmer than average, a bookend to what will end up as one of the warmest years on record statewide. Except there&#8217;s one spot where December hasn&#8217;t been warm at all &#8212; very much the opposite. On any climate map of Colorado for December 2024, Gunnison sticks out like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,17,25,13],"tags":[21,14,28,16],"class_list":["post-599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-context","category-coagmet","category-snow","category-temperature","tag-climate-context","tag-coagmet","tag-snow","tag-temperature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - 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\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - Colorado Climate Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Across Colorado, this December has been much warmer than average, a bookend to what will end up as one of the warmest years on record statewide. Except there&#8217;s one spot where December hasn&#8217;t been warm at all &#8212; very much the opposite. On any climate map of Colorado for December 2024, Gunnison sticks out like [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colorado Climate Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ColoradoClimateCenter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Russ Schumacher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ColoradoClimate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ColoradoClimate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Russ Schumacher\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Russ Schumacher\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/68becad743f71a2ab5d4a5ce09ca4d51\"},\"headline\":\"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":697,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png\",\"keywords\":[\"climate context\",\"CoAgMET\",\"snow\",\"temperature\"],\"articleSection\":[\"climate context\",\"CoAgMET\",\"snow\",\"temperature\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/\",\"name\":\"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - Colorado Climate Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png\",\"width\":2200,\"height\":1700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/22\\\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colorado Climate Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Colorado Climate Center\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/CCC_logo_HORZ_REV_1color_white_bkgrd-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/CCC_logo_HORZ_REV_1color_white_bkgrd-1.png\",\"width\":2233,\"height\":840,\"caption\":\"Colorado Climate Center\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ColoradoClimateCenter\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ColoradoClimate\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/68becad743f71a2ab5d4a5ce09ca4d51\",\"name\":\"Russ Schumacher\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Russ Schumacher\"},\"description\":\"I have served as Colorado State Climatologist and Director of the Colorado Climate Center since 2017. I am a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, with research and teaching interests that include extreme precipitation, weather prediction, the climatology of precipitation, and Colorado\u2019s weather and climate.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/climate.colostate.edu\\\/blog\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/rschumac\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - Colorado Climate Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - Colorado Climate Blog","og_description":"Across Colorado, this December has been much warmer than average, a bookend to what will end up as one of the warmest years on record statewide. Except there&#8217;s one spot where December hasn&#8217;t been warm at all &#8212; very much the opposite. On any climate map of Colorado for December 2024, Gunnison sticks out like [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/","og_site_name":"Colorado Climate Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ColoradoClimateCenter","article_published_time":"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2200,"height":1700,"url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Russ Schumacher","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ColoradoClimate","twitter_site":"@ColoradoClimate","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Russ Schumacher","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/"},"author":{"name":"Russ Schumacher","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/68becad743f71a2ab5d4a5ce09ca4d51"},"headline":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison","datePublished":"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/"},"wordCount":697,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png","keywords":["climate context","CoAgMET","snow","temperature"],"articleSection":["climate context","CoAgMET","snow","temperature"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/","url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/","name":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison - Colorado Climate Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png","datePublished":"2024-12-22T23:56:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/7dTDeptHPRCC-CO.png","width":2200,"height":1700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/12\/22\/the-curious-case-of-the-cold-in-gunnison\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The curious case of the cold in Gunnison"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/","name":"Colorado Climate Blog","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#organization","name":"Colorado Climate Center","url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/CCC_logo_HORZ_REV_1color_white_bkgrd-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/CCC_logo_HORZ_REV_1color_white_bkgrd-1.png","width":2233,"height":840,"caption":"Colorado Climate Center"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ColoradoClimateCenter","https:\/\/x.com\/ColoradoClimate"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/68becad743f71a2ab5d4a5ce09ca4d51","name":"Russ Schumacher","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e02b9c903356f3e7024490652de36442d42886837d9e6ac6b0b1113db88a5f93?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Russ Schumacher"},"description":"I have served as Colorado State Climatologist and Director of the Colorado Climate Center since 2017. I am a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, with research and teaching interests that include extreme precipitation, weather prediction, the climatology of precipitation, and Colorado\u2019s weather and climate.","sameAs":["https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/author\/rschumac\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=599"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":622,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/599\/revisions\/622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climate.colostate.edu\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}