Colorado’s monthly climate summary: May 2026 was most “normal” month temp wise since September

The Colorado Climate Center (CCC) released its monthly climate summary for May 2026 on June 9 showing May’s weather around Colorado was the most “normal” month, temperature wise, since last September.

After a string of extremely warm months, temperatures in May 2026 were much closer to the long-term average, ranking 36th warmest, according to the CCC. Only a good-sized portion of southwestern Colorado and far northeastern Colorado were much warmer than average.

Statewide precipitation was slightly below average, with the Four Corners region being much drier than
average for the month, ranking May 2026 as the 50th driest. But parts of north central Colorado in Jackson County were much wetter than average.

Notable highlights in May:

• Maximum daily snowfall – 23.1″ near Allenspark
• Maximum daily precipitation – 2.57″ at Kirk
• Minimum daily temperature – 1°F at Long Draw Reservoir
• Maximum daily temperature – 97°F at Walsh, Springfield and Lamar
• Sharpe Fire burns 18,000 acres, prompts evacuations in Baca County
• Over 2 feet of snow falls near Estes Park
• 4.5″ hailstone reported near Last Chance

Water flows in the state

The CCC noted that following a record-low snowpack, streamflow conditions were expectedly well-below average for May across all of Colorado’s eight major river basins.

Per NRCS streamflow data, average streamflow volume in May was just 22% of normal in the Arkansas Basin, 24% of normal in the Gunnison Basin, and 30% of normal in the Laramie and North Platte Basin.

Average streamflow volume in the Colorado Rive basin was only 37%. The Colorado River Basin serves upwards of 40,000,000 people across seven states.

The CCC also noted that USGS stream gauge data further corroborated that information, saying streamflows for the Arkansas River at Salida and the Colorado River at Dotsero were hovering around record-low values at the end of May. Records date back around a century or more.

Was late season snowfall a help?

A late-season snowstorm impacted Colorado from May 4-6, bringing 5-8″ of snow to the Front Range foothills below 6,000 feet. The foothills of Larimer and Boulder counties above 6,000 feet, particularly around the Estes Park area, saw the biggest snowfall accumulations, where an excess of 2 feet fell in some locations.

However, the early May snow, and a less potent storm later in the month, spared Colorado from seeing its earliest melt-off on record, but Water Year 2026 will still mark the state’s lowest snowpack on record.

As of June 11, NRCS data showed Colorado’s snowpack has reached 0″ of snow water equivalent, which is the 5th-earliest melt off on record beginning in winter 1986-87.