Climate Change Chart of Telluride, USA

Overview of climate changes

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall averaged across calendar months had a lower difference of -0.49 mm/day compared with the earlier reference period; this unweighted mean summarizes monthly averages, not monthly totals or a day-weighted annual amount. The largest monthly decrease was in April, with a difference of -8.02 mm/day, while December had the largest increase, at a difference of +2.15 mm/day. These month-specific changes show why the mean difference should not be read as a uniform change throughout the year.

Temperature changes

Monthly mean temperatures were higher on average across calendar months in the more recent period, with a mean difference of +2.10 °C; this is an unweighted average of the monthly means, not a day-weighted annual figure or a measure of daytime highs. The largest monthly increase was in November, at a difference of +3.36 °C. That identifies the strongest monthly increase, rather than implying that every month warmed by the same amount.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall had a lower unweighted mean difference across calendar months, at -0.34 mm/day compared with the earlier reference period; this describes monthly averages, not monthly rainfall totals or a day-weighted annual average. The largest monthly decrease occurred in August, with a difference of -1.59 mm/day. By contrast, February recorded the largest monthly increase, a difference of +0.01 mm/day. These extremes show that the direction and size of the rainfall differences varied by month.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration averaged across calendar months was lower in the more recent period, with a difference of -0.33 hours/day; this is an unweighted mean of monthly averages, not a day-weighted annual figure. The largest monthly decrease was in January, at a difference of -0.72 hours/day. In April, the largest increase was a difference of +0.12 hours/day. The opposing monthly differences make clear that the overall mean does not describe the change in every month.