Temperature

Average air temperature looks at how warm or cool a year was overall. This is a helpful metric in comparing conditions across years. For the Forest Health Index, average air temperature is measured using a combination of air temperatures from across your watershed.

What We're Seeing

Moderately high: The annual average temperature over the past five years was higher than average. An unusually warm period may lead to increased heat and water stress for ecosystems and humans. Additionally, some diseases or insect populations that are harmful to trees thrive under warm conditions.

What We're Monitoring

Air temperature plays an important role in many natural cycles. Warming temperatures in the spring or cooling temperatures in the fall signal to plants and animals when to wake up, hatch, bloom, and find food. Long periods of cooler than average temperatures mean a shorter season for many plants to grow and may create challenges to survival for species not well adapted to cold. Warmer than average years mean a longer growing season for some plants, but they can also mean higher fire risk, lower water supplies, and heat stress for many species, including humans.

Future Outlook

Colorado is already experiencing a trend of warming average annual temperatures, and average temperatures are projected to continue rising in the years to come. This warming is a consequence of climate change, which means that how rapidly we warm is something we have the ability to influence, which means that how rapidly we warm is something we have the ability to influence. Choices such as reducing energy use, producing less garbage, driving less, and using renewable energy sources can help slow the speed at which the Earth is warming.