Colorado sees fewest flash flood warnings since 2008
By the numbers: As of Monday, the National Weather Service has issued 24 flash flood warnings in Colorado so far in 2025.
That's down 48% from this time last year — and a dramatic 82% drop from 2023, when the state had already recorded 131 flash flood warnings.
Zoom in: El Paso County leads the state with six warnings this year.
Larimer and Pueblo counties follow with three each.
The intrigue: Denver hasn't had any flood alerts this year. Still, the city shattered a 75-year rainfall record on March 26, logging 1.39 inches in a single day, per FOX31.
The big picture: Scientists say climate change supercharges rainstorms by warming the atmosphere, allowing it to hold and dump more water. But that doesn't mean every region sees more rain every year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
This Free Heat Warning System Could Help You Prepare for Dangerous Summer Conditions
A massive heat dome is gripping much of the US again this week, with the Midwest facing a brutal combination of scorching temperatures and stifling humidity due in part to so-called "corn sweat," or the extra moisture crops release into the air. This added humidity is pushing heat indexes well above 100 degrees across parts of the Corn Belt and beyond, compounding the risks for millions under excessive heat warnings and advisories. The extreme heat bearing down across the US this summer can have a serious impact on public health. Excess heat can exacerbate common health conditions, but it can also mess with your air conditioning, overheat phones and cause meltdowns for other tech. If you live in an area at risk for extreme heat, or know someone who does, you can sign up for a free alert system to help you prepare. The HeatRisk tool from the National Weather Service can send personalized warnings straight to your inbox, giving you advance notice when dangerously high temperatures are headed your way. HeatRisk is free to use and you'll want to keep tabs on it to avoid heat safety issues, such as heatstroke, dehydration or fatigue. Here's how to use it and why you should. Read more: This CDC Tool Can Help You Track Heat Risks on Trips and in Your Area What is NWS HeatRisk? Heat across the US in summer 2025. Screenshot by Macy Meyer/CNET NWS HeatRisk is a clickable map of the US, which is used to forecast extreme heat and assess the impact of that weather on public health. You can click anywhere on the interactive map and pull up a seven-day forecast of risk assessments for any city, town or area. The threat assessment is built on a five-level system that's color-coded for severity, with green representing little to no risk and magenta representing the highest risk. The map will display a seven-day forecast for anywhere in the country, along with the color of the health threat level. The system also considers how unusual the heat is for your area, how long the heat is expected to last and how it could affect people who are more vulnerable, such as older adults, kids or outdoor workers. Read more: Super Common Health Conditions Can Make a Heat Wave More Dangerous: Here's How to Prepare Threat colors NWS HeatRisk has five levels, each with a different color that corresponds to the size of the health risk: 0: Green According to the NWS tool, there's little to no risk involved with the forecasted heat at the green level. 1: Yellow At the yellow level, there's a minor risk for people who are extremely sensitive to heat. 2: Orange The orange level represents a moderate risk to the general public, with potential danger to health systems and heat-sensitive industries. 3: Red Red means there's a major risk to anyone without access to immediate cooling and hydration, with likely impacts to health systems and heat-sensitive industries. 4: Magenta The most extreme level is magenta. It's both a rare occurrence and one that's of long duration, with no overnight relief and is likely to affect health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure. How to sign up for heat risk alerts To get free heat warnings, go to enter your ZIP code and sign up for email or text alerts. You'll get daily updates when your area faces extreme heat levels that could pose a health risk. Signing up for alerts is a quick step that could help you plan ahead, from adjusting outdoor activities to checking on family or neighbors, or just opting to stay hydrated and inside. Other ways to track heat risks Similar to NWS HeatRisk, a tool from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called the HeatRisk Dashboard gives you a seven-day forecast to assess the potential health impact from extreme heat. Data Explorer is another tool from the CDC's Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, which offers further HeatRisk information and assessment resources for COVID-19 and other illnesses. Read more: Here's How to Keep Your Kitchen Cool (and Lower Your Energy Bill) During a Heat Wave Why extreme heat warnings matter Summer 2025 has already been a scorcher in many parts of the country. It's important to stay diligent since extreme heat is the deadliest weather hazard in the US, causing more deaths each year than hurricanes, floods or tornadoes. The risks of heat are only growing. Heat waves are lasting longer, nighttime temperatures are staying high and unusual humidity -- like the current "corn sweat" in the Midwest -- can make it even harder for your body to cool down. Staying informed is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself and your loved ones. Along with signing up for alerts, the CDC recommends learning the signs of heat-related illnesses, drinking plenty of water and never leaving children or pets in cars. For more ways to stay safe this summer, check out CNET's guide to the best portable AC units, tips for cooling down this summer and how to make your home more heat-resilient.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Heat advisories abound as almost 100 million Americans face 'ridiculous' temps
Almost 100 million Americans were under National Weather Service extreme heat warnings, advisories or watches on July 23 as a heat dome descened on a swath of the nation and slowly spread East. The high temperature in St. Louis on July 23 was forecast at 98 degrees − with a heat index that could reach a stunning 116, the weather service said. The forecast high in Little Rock for Wednesday and Thursday was 101 degrees, with heat index values nearing 110. "Just absolutely ridiculous heat index values here of well over 100 degrees, and 110," Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore said. "We have the combination of high temperatures, 90s in most of these cases, even 100 as we showed you in Little Rock, with surging moisture, deep moisture and dew points in the 80s. "That's not air you can wear anymore, that is air that is going to give you a shower whether you like it or not." The Northeast was given a couple days reprieve, with highs in the 80s and relatively low humidity. But the dome will spread across the region Friday, driving high temperatures deep into the 90s that will feel like more than 100 degrees as the humidity builds there. Heat dome is scorching the South, moving toward the East: What you can expect What is an extreme heat advisory? The weather service issues an Extreme Heat Warning when "extremely dangerous" heat conditions are expected or occurring. People in those areas are urged to avoid outdoor activities, especially during the heat of the day, and to check on family and neighbors. An Extreme Heat Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for an extreme heat event but its occurrence and timing are uncertain. People are warned to suspend all major outdoor activities if a warning is issued. A Heat Advisory is issued for dangerous heat conditions that are not expected to reach warning criteria. What is a heat dome? Heat dome is not actually a scientific term, according to which says the term does effectively describe the "oppressive" high-pressure atmospheric systems that cause warm air to be pushed to the Earth's surface and trapped there for long periods of time. "The dome traps high-pressure air in one place, like the lid on a pot," the website says. "These large zones of hot air result in a combination of blistering temperatures, devastating wildfires, and drought conditions."
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
On This Date: America's Record-Largest Hail Fell In South Dakota
Sometimes you need a little serendipity to set a new all-time weather record. On July 23, 2010, 15 years ago today, a supercell thunderstorm spawned a brief tornado and an 85-mph wind gust near Vivian, South Dakota, about 30 miles south of the state capital, Pierre. But it was the hail this supercell produced that etched this storm into U.S. history. One resident of Vivian saved several of the giant hailstones in a freezer after they pelted his property. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Aberdeen, South Dakota, later visited the Vivian resident and measured the largest of these stones to be a whopping 8 inches in diameter and 1.9375 pounds, both new U.S. records, topping the previous record from Sept. 3, 1970, in Coffeyville, Kansas. (WATCH: Flash Flood Floats New Mexico Business) It's hard for a single photo to illustrate how mammoth this hail was. The Vivian hailstone was almost as wide as a typical ball your child might use on the playground and roughly as heavy as a hammer. Now picture those stones falling at speeds over 100 mph, and you might imagine the damage they caused. The hail left large divots in grass and punched a hole through the deck of the Vivian home. And because the severe thunderstorm knocked out power at the home, the record hailstone melted somewhat between when it was first found and when the NWS meteorologists measured it. The Vivian hailstone is also the heaviest on record in the Western Hemisphere, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The heaviest hailstone anywhere on Earth weighed 2.25 pounds in the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh on April 14, 1986. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
