Check the forecast — and know it's local
A sunny trailhead can sit below a storming peak. Use a mountain or point forecast for where you're going and how high.
Outdoors · Weather & Hazards
Weather & natural hazards in Colorado
Colorado's weather is one of its great characters — sunshine most days, but also some of the most dramatic skies in the country. Storms build in an afternoon, hail falls in July, the plains spin up tornadoes, canyons flash-flood, and the mountains hold real winter danger. None of it should scare you off — almost all of it is manageable with a few good habits and a look at the right forecast. This guide explains the patterns and how to stay safe, then points you to the official source.
Last checked against NWS/NOAA, CAIC, the Colorado Geological Survey, Colorado DFPC, NPS, CDC, CPW, and CDOT/COtrip: June 2026. Forecasts, warnings, fire restrictions, evacuations, smoke, road closures, avalanche danger, and flood risk change fast. Confirm the live source before you go.
Start here
What do you need to know about?
The habits
The golden rules
Master a few simple habits and you've handled most of Colorado's weather.
Jump there →Sky
Storms, lightning, hail & tornadoes
The afternoon-storm pattern, the hail capital, and real tornado country.
Jump there →Water
Flash floods & the monsoon
Colorado's scariest water danger — canyons, burn scars, and the rain miles away.
Jump there →Fire
Wildfire, smoke & evacuations
A year-round, all-elevation threat — and how to stay ahead of it.
Jump there →Winter
Avalanches
The backcountry's deadliest hazard, and why bluebird days fool people.
Jump there →Alerts
How do I get warnings?
Where to look, how to read it, and how to get alerts with no cell signal.
Jump there →The habits that keep you safe
The golden rules
Master these few habits and you've handled most of Colorado's weather. Everything else on this page is detail.
Start early, be down by noon
In summer, storms build over the mountains by midday. For summits, ridges, and above-treeline routes, be heading down by noon — earlier if storms are forecast.
Watch the sky
Building, towering clouds mean a storm is coming. Don't wait for the first bolt of lightning to turn around.
Dress for all four seasons
It can be warm at the car and freezing up high — even in summer. Layers, a rain shell, and a warm hat.
Respect water and canyons
Never camp in a dry wash; rain miles away can flood a canyon. Turn around, don't drown.
Know "watch" vs. "warning"
A watch means it's possible — be ready. A warning means it's happening or about to — act now.
Get alerts — and don't rely on just one
Keep phone alerts on, sign up for your county's notifications, and carry a backup for places with no signal.
When each hazard peaks
A quick Colorado hazard calendar
Rough seasons — overlap is normal, and the live forecast always wins.
| Hazard | Peak season | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorms & lightning | Summer (Jun–Aug) | Daily afternoon storms over the high country. |
| Hail | Mid-Apr–mid-Sep | June is often the peak; Front Range and plains. |
| Tornadoes | May–Aug | Afternoon to early evening, mostly east of I-25. |
| Flash floods (monsoon) | Mid-Jul–early Sep | Canyons and burn scars; rain can be miles away. |
| Wildfire | Year-round | Worst in summer/fall drought, but possible any month. |
| Avalanches | Roughly Nov–Apr | Backcountry; danger spikes after storms. |
| High water / cold runoff | May–Jul | Snowmelt rivers run high, fast, and cold. |
The big weather hazards
Storms, lightning, hail & tornadoes
⚡ Afternoon thunderstorms & lightning (the #1 outdoor danger)
This is the hazard that catches people out most. The classic Colorado summer day starts sunny, then clouds tower up over the mountains and foothills by midday, and storms fire in the afternoon and evening — often daily. Lightning is one of Colorado's serious outdoor hazards: since 1980 it has killed about 101 people and injured about 490 in the state (as of 2024) — roughly 2 deaths and a dozen injuries a year, most on summer afternoons. It strikes everywhere, but the worst zones are high ground above treeline and the foothills where the mountains meet the plains (the Palmer Divide between Denver and Colorado Springs is a notorious one).
The lightning plan: prevention, then real shelter
- Prevention is the real plan. Start early, watch the sky, and get off summits, ridges, and exposed high ground before storms build — be heading down by midday.
- "When thunder roars, go indoors." If you can hear thunder, you're close enough to be struck — and if fewer than 30 seconds pass between the flash and the bang, the storm is right on top of you. Get to a substantial building or a fully enclosed, hard-topped vehicle (windows up — it's the metal shell that protects you, not the tires). Picnic pavilions, sheds, and tents are not safe. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder before heading back out.
- There is no truly safe place outside in a storm. If you're caught out, get off peaks, ridges, and open ground and keep moving toward real shelter — a building or a hard-topped vehicle. Avoid lone trees, water, fences, and metal, and spread your group out. The old advice to crouch is no longer recommended (it offers little real protection), and don't lie flat — that only raises your exposure to dangerous ground current.
The full lightning playbook is in the hiking guide.
Hail (Colorado is a hail capital)
The Front Range and eastern plains sit in the heart of "Hail Alley" — one of the most hail-prone regions in North America. Expect several damaging hailstorms a year, with stones from pea- to baseball-size (the state record is a 5.25-inch monster that fell on the eastern plains in 2023). Caught outside, get under solid cover and let the storm pass fully. Driving, get to a garage or carport if you safely can; if you can't, pull completely out of the travel lanes, stay buckled inside, and shield yourself from breaking glass. Don't stop under bridges or in the lanes.
Tornadoes (the eastern plains are real tornado country)
Colorado averages about 53 tornadoes a year, but most are weak and short-lived, and about 95% happen along and east of I-25 on the thinly populated plains — so deaths are rare. The threat runs May through August, mostly afternoon to early evening (about 1–8 p.m.). If a warning hits, get to an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows, and cover your head. Mobile homes and vehicles are dangerous in a tornado — get to a sturdy building if you possibly can.
High winds & blizzards
Colorado gets fierce downslope "chinook" windstorms off the foothills (especially around Boulder), with gusts that can top 70–100 mph in strong events. In the cold months, blizzards and "ground blizzards" on the eastern plains create whiteouts that shut down I-70 and I-25 with little warning. Check road conditions (COtrip) before any plains or mountain driving in winter.
Blowing dust ("Pull Aside, Stay Alive")
On dry, windy days, sudden dust storms can drop highway visibility to zero in seconds — especially on I-25 and the open roads of the southern and eastern plains, where they've caused deadly pileups. If you see a wall of dust or lose visibility, don't stop in the travel lanes: pull completely off the road, turn off your lights, take your foot off the brake, and wait it out. "Pull aside, stay alive."
Temperature swings, cold & heat
Temperatures can swing 40-plus degrees in a single day, and it can snow any month of the year up high — so you can get hypothermia even in summer (cold rain plus wind plus altitude is enough). The flip side is real heat at lower elevations: the Grand Valley, the Arkansas Valley, and the eastern plains regularly top 100°F, so hydrate and seek shade on low-country summer outings. And never leave a child or pet in a parked car — even on a mild day it can heat to deadly levels in minutes. Either way, check the forecast for your elevation and pack layers and water.
Flash floods & the monsoon
Colorado's scariest water danger isn't the rivers — it's the flash flood. Each summer, the North American Monsoon (roughly mid-June through September) pulls tropical moisture north, and slow, heavy storms can dump rain faster than the ground can take it. The highest flash-flood risk usually comes from mid-July into early September.
- It's about where the rain falls. In steep canyons and over wildfire burn scars, rain turns into a fast, deadly wall of water and mud (a "debris flow"). Burn scars flood with surprisingly little rain — and stay dangerous for years.
- Rain miles away can flood a dry canyon where you stand in sunshine.
- Burn scars cascade into other hazards. Even moderate rain over a burn scar can send mud, rocks, and debris flows onto the roads below — which is why CDOT now closes I-70 through Glenwood Canyon under a flash-flood warning, even on a sunny day. Watch for rockfall and mudslides on mountain roads after rain.
- History to respect: the 1976 Big Thompson Flood — stalled storms dropped about a foot of rain in a few hours and sent a wall of water down a canyon full of campers, the deadliest natural disaster in modern state history. In September 2013, days of rain flooded the Big Thompson, the St. Vrain, Boulder Creek, and other canyons across more than a dozen counties. A burn-scar debris flow closed I-70 through Glenwood Canyon for weeks in 2021.
Turn around, don't drown
Never camp or park in a dry wash or canyon bottom. Heed flash-flood watches and warnings, and climb to higher ground the moment water starts to rise. Driving or walking, turn around at flooded roads and trails — more than half of flood deaths happen in vehicles, in water that looks shallow. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet, a foot can float a car, and two feet can sweep away most trucks and SUVs — and you can't see what the road underneath has washed out. For cold water and runoff, see the rivers and boating guides.
Wildfire & smoke
Wildfire is now a year-round reality in Colorado, not just a summer one. All 20 of the state's largest recorded wildfires have happened since 2001 — the biggest, the Cameron Peak Fire, burned more than 200,000 acres in 2020 — as summers run warmer, drier, and longer.
- They can move shockingly fast. In 2020 the East Troublesome Fire grew well over 100,000 acres in a single day, jumped the Continental Divide, and forced the evacuation of Estes Park. The most destructive fire in state history, the Marshall Fire, was a wind-driven grassfire in late December 2021 that destroyed about 1,084 suburban homes in Boulder County in a matter of hours. Fire here isn't only a wilderness or a summer thing — if you're told to evacuate, go immediately.
- Smoke is a health risk even far from the flames — from Colorado fires and from neighboring states and Canada, and it hits kids, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with heart or lung conditions hardest. Check the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map; on bad-air days, stay indoors with the windows closed (AC on recirculate, or a clean-air room with a HEPA filter), limit hard exertion, and wear a well-fitted N95 if you must be out — a cloth or surgical mask won't help, and an N95 won't seal on a child or over a beard.
- Burn scars stay dangerous for years afterward — flash floods and debris flows (see above).
- Most wildfires are human-caused, so follow fire bans and campfire rules to the letter — and on a Red Flag Warning day (low humidity, high wind, dry fuels), skip any open flame entirely.
If you live or stay somewhere fire-prone: Ready, Set, Go
Colorado counties phrase evacuations in three levels you'll hear on alerts: Level 1 = READY (be prepared), Level 2 = SET (be packed and pointed out — vulnerable people and animals leave now), Level 3 = GO (leave immediately; do not delay).
- Ready: create defensible space around the building, harden against embers, and pack a go-bag. An easy memory aid is the 6 P's — people and pets, papers (documents), prescriptions, phone and chargers, priceless items (photos), and a personal-needs kit (cash, water, N95 masks).
- Set: when a fire is near, get the car loaded and pointed out, and stay glued to your county sheriff and emergency-management alerts.
- Go: leave early, the moment you're told — or before. Don't wait to see the flames.
Check active fires on InciWeb, air quality on AirNow, evacuation orders from your county sheriff, and current fire restrictions in the camping guide.
Avalanches
Colorado leads the nation in avalanche deaths — about a third of the U.S. total, and more than any other natural hazard in the state, averaging around six deaths most winters. Almost all are in the backcountry, on steep slopes, and most slides are triggered by the victim or someone in their group.
- Inside open, patrolled ski-area terrain, the risk is greatly reduced by patrol and avalanche-mitigation work — but it's not a guarantee of zero risk. Outside the ropes, in closed terrain, or in the backcountry (touring, sledding, snowshoeing beyond the boundary), you're in uncontrolled avalanche terrain.
- Danger often peaks in the days right after a storm — including on the clear, beautiful "bluebird" days when people are most tempted to head out.
- The non-negotiables for backcountry winter travel: check the CAIC forecast (a daily, zone-by-zone danger rating — read it while planning and again before you go), get avalanche training, carry a beacon, probe, and shovel (and know how to use them), and go with experienced partners.
The deep version lives in the winter-sports guide. The winter-sports guide carries the full avalanche treatment — the danger scale, the gear and training, and the in-bounds-vs-backcountry rules — and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (avalanche.state.co.us) is the authority for every winter backcountry trip.
Roads & cold
Winter driving & extreme cold
For most people, winter driving is the riskier mountain hazard — far more visitors are stranded or hurt on I-70 and the high passes than in avalanches. A little preparation makes it routine.
Know Colorado's Traction & Chain laws
When the roads turn snowy, CDOT activates the Traction Law (Code 15) — an AWD/4WD vehicle needs winter, M+S, or all-weather tires (at least 3/16-inch tread), while a two-wheel-drive vehicle must carry chains or an approved traction device (a 2025 update — good tires alone no longer cut it for 2WD). In severe conditions it escalates to the Passenger Vehicle Chain Law (Code 16) — every vehicle needs chains or an approved alternative. On the I-70 mountain corridor (roughly Dotsero to Morrison) the Traction Law is in effect by default September 1 through May 31. Get caught without and you can be fined — and if you spin out, you become the closure. Check COtrip (cotrip.org or 511) before any mountain drive.
Pack a winter car kit (the road version of a go-bag)
Every mountain or plains drive from October to May should carry: a warm blanket (plus a reflective emergency blanket), water and high-calorie snacks, a hat, gloves, and extra layers, a traction aid (sand or non-clumping kitty litter, or traction boards) and a small shovel, an ice scraper, a charged power bank, a flashlight, jumper cables, and a basic first-aid kit — and keep the gas tank above half.
- Bridges and overpasses freeze first. Black ice is nearly invisible — pavement just looks wet. It forms around 32°F in shade, early morning, and after freezing fog, and bridges ice over before the road because cold air flows above and below the deck. Slow down before bridges, leave extra following distance, and brake gently.
- In a whiteout, don't stop in the travel lanes. Slow down, turn on your lights, and find a safe exit or rest area. If you truly must pull over, get completely off the road, turn your lights off, and take your foot off the brake — so the next driver doesn't follow your taillights into the ditch.
- If you're stranded, stay with the car. It's shelter and far easier for rescuers to find than a person on foot. Run the engine only in short bursts to warm up, crack a window, and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow (a blocked pipe fills the car with deadly carbon monoxide). Tie something bright to the antenna.
- Wind chill is how fast you lose heat, not the air temperature. At about −20°F wind chill, exposed skin can freeze in roughly 30 minutes; at −35°F in about 10 minutes; below −50°F in under 5 — all realistic on a fourteener or a windy plains night. Cover every bit of skin, and watch for the "umbles" of hypothermia (stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, grumbles).
Live road conditions, closures, and the current traction/chain status are all on CDOT / COtrip (or call 511).
Altitude, sun & thin air
The high country comes with its own quiet hazards:
- Altitude sickness is real above about 8,000 feet — headache (the telltale sign), nausea, and trouble sleeping, and rarely dangerous fluid in the lungs or brain. Symptoms usually show up a few hours to a day after you arrive or climb. The fix is to stop going up — and to go down if it worsens. (Full details in the hiking guide.)
- The sun is brutal up here. Thin air and reflective snow mean you sunburn fast — even when it's cold or cloudy. Sunscreen, a hat, lip balm, and sunglasses or goggles (snow can cause "snow blindness").
- The air is dry, so you dehydrate quickly. Drink more water than you think you need.
Cold water & runoff
Snowmelt-cold, well into summer
Colorado's rivers and lakes stay snowmelt-cold long after the air warms up — cold enough to cause "cold-water shock" even on a hot day — and runoff runs high and fast in late spring and early summer, with many snowmelt rivers peaking in May or June and cold, high water lasting into July. It's its own big topic: see the rivers and boating & water-safety guides for the full story.
Stay informed
How to check & get alerts
Knowing where to look is half of staying safe. The pattern is always the same: this page teaches the habit, the official source gives the live answer.
Watch = be ready
Conditions are possible. Make a plan, watch the sky, and be ready to act — but it isn't happening yet.
Warning = act now
It's happening or imminent. Take action immediately — get to shelter, get to higher ground, or evacuate.
Forecasts
National Weather Service (weather.gov) — enter your exact location for the right forecast office and a point forecast for your spot and elevation.
Open the source →Phone alerts
Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on — they ping your phone automatically for tornado warnings and the most dangerous flash-flood warnings (those tagged "considerable" or "catastrophic"). Don't rely on them alone; they need cell signal and can be switched off in settings.
Open the source →County notifications
Sign up for the emergency-alert system where you live or stay — this is how evacuation orders reach you. Find yours through your county or the state.
Open the source →NOAA Weather Radio
A weather radio gives alerts where there's no cell signal — worth it for homes, cabins, RVs, and weak-signal areas.
Open the source →Wildfire & smoke
InciWeb for active fires, AirNow for smoke and air quality, and your county sheriff for evacuations.
Open the source →Avalanche
The CAIC daily backcountry forecast — a zone-by-zone danger rating for every winter trip.
Open the source →Roads
CDOT / COtrip (cotrip.org, or call 511) for closures, conditions, and the winter traction law.
Open the source →When you need help — the numbers
- 911 for any immediate threat to life or safety — a fire, a flood, a lost or injured person, a stranded driver in danger. Call early. Where signal is weak, a text to 911 or a phone's satellite SOS may get through when a call won't, and dispatch can often locate you.
- 511 (or cotrip.org) for road conditions and closures; *CSP (*277) to report a crash, hazard, or impaired driver to the State Patrol.
- 988 for a mental-health or suicidal crisis — anytime, by call or text.
Plan for everyone in your household
A good plan covers the people and animals who can't just "leave fast." If anyone relies on oxygen, a CPAP, a powered wheelchair, or refrigerated medicine (insulin and others), build a power-outage plan with backup batteries and a cooler, and keep a medication list. Pets go with you (never left behind) — keep a pet kit and current ID; for horses and livestock, plan trailering early, because it takes hours. Tell a neighbor or friend your needs before a bad day arrives.
The one rule for alerts: don't rely on a single path. Phones fail in canyons and outages — pair phone alerts with county notifications and a NOAA Weather Radio, and tell someone your plan before you head somewhere remote. In a fast-moving event, trust official channels — your county emergency management and sheriff (the evacuation authority), CDOT/COtrip and the State Patrol for roads, your local NWS office, and InciWeb for fires — over social-media rumor.
Colorado quirks
Things people get wrong
The mountains turn dangerous after noon
Storms build almost daily in summer — so climb early and be heading down by midday. Lightning is one of Colorado's top weather killers, and there's no safe place outside in a storm.
One of the hail capitals of North America
The Front Range gets more big hail than almost anywhere on Earth, with baseball-size stones some summers (the state record is a 5.25-inch stone).
The eastern plains are real tornado country
Colorado averages about 53 tornadoes a year — mostly weak, about 95% east of I-25, peaking May through August.
A sunny day can still flash-flood a canyon
Rain miles upstream, or over a burn scar, can send a wall of water down on you. Never camp in a dry wash.
Wildfire is a year-round, all-elevation threat
The most destructive fire in state history was a December grassfire in the suburbs — not a summer wilderness blaze.
"Bluebird" winter days hide avalanche danger
Danger often peaks in the clear days right after a storm — and Colorado leads the nation in avalanche deaths.
In-bounds is much safer, not a guarantee
Ski patrol controls avalanches inside the ropes; step outside them and you're in the uncontrolled backcountry.
You burn fast even when it's freezing
Thin air and reflective snow make Colorado's sun deceptively strong — sunburn and snow blindness are real in winter.
It can snow in July up high
And temperatures can swing 40 degrees in a day — so you can get hypothermia in summer.
Most flood deaths happen in cars
Water that looks shallow can sweep a vehicle away. Turn around, don't drown.
Forecasts here are intensely local
Sunny in town can mean storming on the peak 20 miles away and 6,000 feet up. Always forecast for your destination and elevation.
Before you head out
The weather-safety checklist
- Checked the forecast for your destination and elevation (not just town)?
- Summer summit plan = early start, down by noon — before storms build?
- Layers, rain shell, and warm hat; sun protection; and extra water?
- Canyon or wash camping? Don't — and know the flash-flood forecast?
- Fire season? Checked fire restrictions, InciWeb, and the AirNow smoke map?
- Backcountry in winter? CAIC forecast, training, and a beacon, probe, and shovel?
- Driving in winter? Checked COtrip, the traction law, and packed a winter car kit?
- County alerts signed up, phone alerts on, a backup for no-signal areas, and your route left with someone?
Plain English
The words you'll see in a forecast
A little weather-and-hazard vocabulary, in plain English.
Watch
Hazardous weather is possible — be ready, stay alert, and have a plan.
Warning
Hazardous weather is happening or imminent — act now.
A flash-flood warning means move to higher ground immediately.
The monsoon
A summer wind shift (about mid-June through September) that pumps moisture into Colorado and fuels afternoon storms.
Flash flood
A sudden, fast flood from heavy rain, especially in canyons or on burn scars.
Burn scar
Land left bare by a wildfire, where rain runs off fast and floods easily — for years afterward.
Debris flow
A fast-moving slurry of water, mud, rocks, and trees — a flash flood's most dangerous form.
Treeline
The elevation above which trees don't grow; above it you're exposed to lightning and weather.
Chinook
A warm, often very strong downslope wind off the mountains.
Bluebird day
A clear, sunny day after a storm — beautiful, and often high avalanche danger.
CAIC
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which posts daily backcountry avalanche forecasts.
Red Flag Warning
Low humidity, high wind, and dry fuels — conditions where fire spreads explosively. No open flames; many bans tighten.
On a Red Flag day, skip the campfire and the grill entirely.
Traction Law (Code 15)
A CDOT order that every vehicle have snow tires, 4WD/AWD, or chains with adequate tread; in worse conditions it escalates to the Passenger Vehicle Chain Law (Code 16).
Ground blizzard
A whiteout created when high wind lifts snow that's already on the ground — even with no new snow falling.
FAQ
Quick answers
When are the afternoon thunderstorms worst, and how do I avoid the lightning?
In summer, storms build over the high country almost daily and fire in the afternoon and evening. The plan is prevention: start early and be off summits, ridges, and exposed high ground by around noon. When thunder roars, go indoors — if you can hear thunder, you're close enough to be struck, so get into a substantial building or a fully enclosed hard-topped vehicle (windows up), and wait 30 minutes after the last thunder. There's no truly safe place outside in a storm; if you're caught high, descend right away and get off peaks and ridges. (The full lightning playbook is in the hiking guide.)
What's the deal with the monsoon and flash floods?
From about mid-June through September, the North American Monsoon pulls tropical moisture north and feeds slow, heavy storms — and Colorado's highest flash-flood risk runs from roughly mid-July into early September. The danger is about where the rain falls: steep canyons and wildfire burn scars turn rain into a fast, deadly wall of water and mud, and rain miles away can flood a dry canyon while you stand in sunshine. Never camp or park in a dry wash, heed flash-flood watches and warnings, climb to higher ground if water rises, and — driving or walking — turn around, don't drown.
Is wildfire only a summer risk?
No. Wildfire in Colorado is now a year-round, all-elevation reality — the most destructive fire in state history was a wind-driven grassfire in the Boulder County suburbs in late December. Fires can also move shockingly fast in wind. So if you're told to evacuate, go immediately; don't wait to see how it develops. Check active fires on InciWeb, watch the AirNow smoke map on bad-air days, follow your county sheriff for evacuation orders, and keep a simple go-bag ready if you live or stay somewhere fire-prone. Most wildfires are human-caused, so follow fire bans to the letter (see the camping guide).
How dangerous are Colorado's hail and tornadoes?
Hail is the everyday one: the Front Range and plains are a global hail hotspot, with several damaging storms a year. Get under solid cover, protect your car if you safely can, and let the storm pass fully. Tornadoes are real but mostly mild here — Colorado sees dozens a year, but the large majority are weak and happen east of I-25 on open plains, so deaths are rare. If a tornado warning hits, get to an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows; mobile homes and vehicles are dangerous, so reach a sturdy building if you can.
Am I safe from avalanches at a ski resort?
Much safer, but not guaranteed. Inside open, patrolled ski-area terrain, patrol and avalanche-mitigation work greatly reduce the risk. Step outside the ropes, into closed terrain, or into the backcountry (touring, sledding, snowshoeing beyond the boundary) and you're in uncontrolled avalanche terrain — where Colorado leads the nation in avalanche deaths, most of them triggered by the victim or their group. Danger often peaks in the clear, beautiful "bluebird" days right after a storm. For any backcountry winter travel: check the CAIC forecast, get avalanche training, and carry (and know how to use) a beacon, probe, and shovel.
How do I get warnings where there's no cell signal?
Don't rely on one path. Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone turned on, but add a NOAA Weather Radio for homes, cabins, RVs, and weak-signal areas — it alerts you with no cell service. Sign up for your county's emergency notification system (that's how evacuation orders reach you), download forecasts before you head somewhere remote, and know the difference: a watch means be ready, a warning means act now.
The official signpost
Where the live answer lives
Colorado Porch explains how the weather and hazards behave; the National Weather Service, the fire and avalanche centers, CDOT, and your county's alerts have the live, current details — and conditions change fast. When you need the forecast, fire map, or alert, go straight to the source.
- Last reviewed
- June 2026
- National Weather Service (weather.gov) for enter your exact location for the local forecast office, a point forecast for your spot and elevation, and all watches and warnings.
- Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) for the daily, zone-by-zone backcountry avalanche forecast — read it while planning and again before you go.
- InciWeb — active wildfire information for current large-fire size, perimeter, and status nationwide.
- AirNow Fire and Smoke Map for real-time smoke and air-quality readings, with health guidance for bad-air days.
- CDOT / COtrip (cotrip.org · 511) for road closures and conditions, mountain-pass status, and Colorado's winter traction and chain laws.
- Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management for statewide emergency information and preparedness; find and sign up for your county's alert system.
Use this carefully: This is a plain-English overview of how Colorado's weather and hazards behave — not a live forecast. Forecasts, warnings, fire restrictions, evacuations, smoke, road closures, avalanche danger, and flood risk all change fast, so confirm the live source before you go. Get the safety basics exactly right: in a lightning storm there is no safe place outside — the plan is prevention and real shelter, not a crouch; in-bounds skiing is much safer than the backcountry but not a guarantee; and in a flash flood, turn around, don't drown. Keep phone alerts on, sign up for your county's notifications, and carry a backup (a NOAA Weather Radio) for places with no signal.
More official links
Every source in one place
Weather & alerts
Colorado's wild weather is part of its beauty. A look at the right forecast, an early start, and a few good habits are almost always all it takes.
Next steps
The guides this hub points to
This page is the overview. Here's where the deep safety detail lives.
Trails
Hiking, Biking & Trails
The full lightning playbook and altitude sickness, in depth.
Read trails →Water
Rivers & Boating
Cold-water shock, snowmelt runoff, and how to read river flows.
Read rivers →Camping
Camping & Backcountry
Fire bans (Stage 1 and 2), campfire rules, and the fire-ban lookup.
Read camping →