The past eight months — from January through August — were the third warmest such period across the contiguous U.S. on record, and Colorado was not an exception to that heat.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the average temperature during that span was 56.7 degrees Fahrenheit across the country, 2.8 degrees warmer than the 20th century average.
In Colorado, federal officials say nearly all of the state experienced “much above average” temperatures,according to NOAA. Areas of the state that did not fall into that category had above-average temperatures.
No part of Colorado was “near average” or cooler for the period.
Four U.S. Atlantic states– Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas — were warmest on record between January and August. No state fell in the “near average” category measured by NOAA or cooler.
The year-to-date precipitation for the contiguous U.S. was 24.1 inches, 3.4 inches above average, according to NOAA, making it the wettest in the 123-year period of record.
Total precipitation levels over the summer from June through August varied across the U.S., including Colorado. The state’s northwest, northeast and southwest corners were below average or much below average. The southeast and central parts of the state were near average, above average or much above average.
NOAA did not provide a reason for why the U.S. was so hot in about the summer and year-to-date climate.
As of Thursday, 32.51 percent of Colorado — covering the state’s northwest and part of the northeast corners — were abnormally dry while a 3.72 percent in the central-northwest corner were in moderate drought. That’s slightly higher than where Colorado was a year ago.