Even though it hasn't exactly felt like fall lately, it's only a matter of time before freezing temperatures return to Southern Colorado.
On average, the first freeze of the season happens around October 1st for Colorado Springs.
It comes a little later in Pueblo, typically around the 8th of the month.
These averages account for data that dates back to 1889.
Last year's first freeze caught many off guard.
In Pueblo, it came on September 9th, and tied a record for the earliest freeze of the season.
Now, I want you to check this out...
This graphic from Climate Central tracks a troubling trend.
Taking into account first freeze data from 1970 to 2016, you can see that the first freeze over a nearly 50 year period is now happening five days later, 5.2 days to be exact.
According to information seen on this graphic, our average first freeze is now more likely to occur about a week into October, rather than around the first.
If we look ahead at the forecast, we are tracking a big shift in the weather pattern later this week.
The cool down doesn't appear to bring a freeze to the Springs over the next 7 days. To give perspective, next Tuesday is October 5th.
Based on longer range data, it's possible that we might not see our first freeze in Colorado Springs until the middle of the month.
In case you're wondering, the latest first freeze on record in Colorado Springs occurred on October 31, 1963.
