DENVER—The National Western Stock Show has started, frigid temperatures must be on the way. Right?
Not really, says state climatologist Nolan Doesken.
The start of the stock show that draws thousands from around the country in early January has long been associated with the start of a deep freeze, spawning the phrase “stock show weather.”
Doesken, a Colorado State University researcher, says records stock show weather is more likely to be mild than teeth-chattering cold.
His analysis of daily average temperatures over the past 60 years show that 76 percent of the days between Jan. 10 and 25 had daytime high temperatures of 36 degrees or higher. The 103rd edition of the National Western started Saturday and runs through Jan. 25.
