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KUNC is among the founding partners of the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Western states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Heat wave shatters temperature records around the Mountain West

 A graphic from the National Weather Service detailing recent record-breaking high temperatures in the region.
National Weather Service
A graphic from the National Weather Service detailing recent record-breaking high temperatures in the region.

It's December in the Mountain West but it's been downright balmy, with high temperatures breaking decades-old records around the region.

In Montana, on Sunday, Nov. 28, several cities broke long-standing high temperature records — by 10 degrees in some locations. The next day, Pueblo, Colo., reached a record 75 degrees. In Wyoming, Laramie and Cheyenne both broke their daily records on Thursday, at 62 and 70 degrees, respectively.

"Right now, normal temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 30s to low 40s. But we've been about 25 to 30 degrees above normal," said Jared Allen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Wyo.

Meanwhile, much of the West continues to be in drought.

J.J. Shinker is a professor of geography at the University of Wyoming and studies climate, drought, and water resources across the West. She said the conditions don’t surprise her, given what we know about climate change. But the impact is still jarring — especially with the recent wildfires in Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado.

"It's pretty spectacular to think that we're seeing some radical changes in terms of climate and water resources play out in real human timeframes," Shinker said.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Copyright 2021 Wyoming Public Radio. To see more, visit Wyoming Public Radio.

Maggie Mullen is a fifth generation Wyomingite, born and raised in Casper. She is currently a Masters candidate in American Studies and will defend her thesis on female body hair in contemporary American culture this May. Before graduate school, she earned her BA in English and French from the University of Wyoming. Maggie enjoys writing, cooking, her bicycle, swimming in rivers and lakes, and most any dog.