Temperatures across Colorado have increased by an average of 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the past four decades, according to a new report from Colorado State University.

Researchers from Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Center, who published the 2024 edition of the Climate Change in Colorado Report, said they hope to synthesize climate science information and help in making well-informed decisions for the future management and planning of the state’s water resources. 

The report also notes that the state’s water supply will continue to dwindle as temperatures increase. While future trends in precipitation remain uncertain, models predict a 5-30% reduction in both stream flow and volume of snow-water equivalent – the amount of liquid that would result if snowpack were melted down – by 2050. 

“Snow-water equivalent during the twenty-first century has already been 3 to 23 percent lower than the 1951-2000 average across Colorado’s major river basins,” said Becky Bolinger, a research scientist at CSU who served as the lead author of the report. “Future warming will continue that trend and the seasonal peak snowpack date is actually projected to occur earlier in the spring than it does now by 2050.”

“We would need a large overall increase in precipitation to offset the effects of warming there – an outcome that appears unlikely,” Bolinger said. 

The report also indicates an increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and wildfires due to the warming climate.