With a changing climate and shifting weather patterns, Fort Collins residents were faced with abnormal, record-breaking high temperatures the week of March 16. These conditions pose threats to both the environment and health of local Larimer County residents.

The town first broke a record-high for the month on March 18 at 85 degrees, passing the previous top of temperature of 81 degrees recorded in 2012 and 1921. The progression of heat only continued the following days, reaching 87 degrees on March 19 and 89 degrees on March 20. 

March 21 saw the hottest day of March ever recorded in Fort Collins since recordkeeping first began in 1893. The 91-degree heat signified a new chapter of records at Colorado State University, as Colorado State Climatologist and Professor of atmospheric sciences Russ Schumacher explained. 

“From the CSU campus, we have weather records going back over 130 years,” Schumacher said. “The seven warmest March days in those 130 years of records have all been this month.”

The Colorado Climate Center, housed at CSU, described the rarity of these temperatures, noting that, “there were several places in Colorado that not only set new all-time records for March, but they also saw warmer temperatures than their all-time records for April.”

With climate change, warm weather days and extreme heat are projected to occur more frequently and last for longer periods of time. Multiday heat waves are also expected to increase in both severity and duration — a lethal combination that poses unique challenges to both the environment and residents of Northern Colorado.

Colorado has experienced several significant dry periods in the 21st century, with 2018 and 2020 being among the driest years on record. With the 2025-26 winter seeing the warmest temperatures on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, officials statewide are now faced with the threat of low snowpack. 

“We’re seeing that this year the mountains have not had very much snow, but especially they’ve been extremely warm,” Schumacher said. “And so, we’re seeing now the mountain snowpack take a nose dive in March, which usually doesn’t happen until much later in the spring when it typically warms up. … This combination of drought impact and climate change impacts and how they intersect is a big issue at the state level.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis activated the State Drought Task Force March 16 and shifted to Phase 2 of the state’s Drought Response Plan. Water management companies across the Front Range have enacted water restrictions, while Fort Collins Utilities is waiting to receive more information on this year’s water availability before enacting restrictions. 

Beyond its impact on natural resources, extreme heat also has negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of residents. Heidi Pruess, manager of the Office of Sustainability and Climate for Larimer County, noted that officials first began to discuss the widespread health effects of heat after the county experienced the highest rate of heat-related illnesses in 2024. These trends continued into 2025 with the Emergency Department receiving 81 visits for heat-related illnesses among Larimer County residents, resulting in the development of several outreach efforts.

“We have a health impact team that worked on some communications out to the community around what to look for and then what to do around the five levels of different heat-related illnesses,” Pruess said.

Heat-related illnesses can be divided into various stages. Mild effects include heat cramps from dehydration, which can later progress into heat exhaustion, characterized by heavy sweating, fever and dizziness. If not properly addressed, heatstroke can occur, which can be life-threatening. 

Pruess encouraged local residents to take preventative steps by planning ahead during heat waves to avoid heat-related illnesses as much as possible. These include carrying water, wearing loose clothing and trying to stay out of the sun when possible. 

As part of Larimer County’s Climate Smart Future Ready plan, Pruess’ office works with offices and organizations across the county to strategize about the best ways to address climate change’s local effects, which includes assisting those most at risk during heat waves.

“We put together cool kits, which we distributed last year at the farmers market and … in those organizations that touch those that are (the) most impacted parts of our community, whether they’re outdoor workers or the unhoused,” Pruess said.

While it is likely heat waves will only continue in the future, Schumacher emphasized that this does not necessarily signal a decline in winter weather. 

“The increase in heat waves is going to be big, and we’re just going to have a lot more heat waves (and) longer-lasting heat waves,” Schumacher said. “That all goes up by a big amount, but there’s not a proportionate decline in extreme cold. So we’re going to get a lot more extreme heat, but we’ll still get those blasts of cold air in the winter.” 

While this March saw record-breaking temperatures in Fort Collins, local residents must look to the future for natural conditions to come. 

“This … is going to stand out as a really unusual year and a really unusual month, but we’re also going to see more unusual months going forward,” Schumacher said. 

Reach Katie Fisher at news@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.