Colorado Springs Experiences Unusually Warm Fall Season | Weather

Fall chills are historically later than usual in the Colorado Springs area. And aside from a bit of a reprieve this weekend, the unusual conditions don't appear to be abating any time soon.

According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature in Colorado Springs for the first 17 days of October was 61.4 degrees, 8.1 degrees above average. The only time this value was exceeded was in 1963, when it averaged 62.2 degrees over the same period.

Looking at the average from early September to October 17, the average was 64.6°C, the highest recorded temperature in 120 years of data.

“So if we continue to see these above-average temperatures through the rest of October and into November, we're definitely going to see one of the five worst precipitation events on record,” said Mark Wankowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo.

When it comes to humidity, most El Paso and Teller counties are experiencing a moderate drought this year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Wankowski noted that this is typical of the region with impending La Niña conditions and that it was due to unseasonably high humidity in 2023, which totaled 25.7 inches. The current total of 13.5 inches this year is more similar to the 2022 total of 14.29.

As for the lack of cooler temperatures this year, Colorado Springs has experienced a few brief freezes in certain areas so far. On Wednesday, the Colorado Springs Airport reported a low of 31 degrees, while the Black Forest area reached over 20 degrees.

“So technically we were at a standstill. (But) we haven’t had a comprehensive, hard shutdown yet,” Wankowski said.

It doesn't look like a freeze like this will happen in the distant future, with highs in the 60s and 70s and above-average lows in the 30s and 40s forecast next week, but a month and a half before the start of the fall season it always is still the case It is too early to predict that this will remain the case.

“We could have a cold November depending on how everything plays out,” Wankowski said.

El Paso and Teller counties are expected to see snow and rain over the weekend. A winter storm warning is in effect for some of the southern mountains, including the San Juan, La Garita, and southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, while winter weather warnings are in effect for the northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, lower elevations of the San Juans, and higher elevations of the eastern Sawatch – and Wet Mountains as well as Pikes Peak.

Moderate to heavy rain is forecast across the eastern Plains on Saturday. Rainfall totals are expected to be around 2 to 3 inches over the far Southeast plains through Sunday, according to KOAA's Katie LaSalle.