Colorado
Colorado’s mountains are likely already at peak snowpack. Now the heat dome will kick off melting.
Colorado’s mountains have likely already hit peak snowpack, and record-high heat forecast for the coming days will kick off widespread melting even at high elevations — weeks ahead of normal.
A heat dome that’s expected to hover over the state and the Mountain West through Saturday is forecast to bring temperatures into the 80s at lower elevations and into the 50s and 60s at higher elevations. The heat this week follows the warmest winter recorded in Colorado since records began in 1895.
“It’s possible that many areas of the state at high elevations have already seen peak snowpack,” Peter Goble, the assistant state climatologist, told the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Water Conditions Monitoring Committee on Tuesday.
The temperatures expected from the heat dome will be high enough to spur melting, said Brian Domonkos, a hydrologist with the Colorado office of the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. Statewide, snowpack depth typically peaks around April 8.
The National Weather Service forecast for a point near Loveland Pass — at an elevation of 11,020 feet — shows overnight lows are not expected to drop below freezing until Sunday night. Daytime highs could hit 60 degrees.
Wolf Creek Pass, located at nearly 11,000 feet in southern Colorado, is also not forecast to reach freezing temperatures overnight this week.
The record heat is expected to shrink an already anemic snowpack. Statewide snowpack sat at 59% of the median for this time of year on Wednesday, the lowest recorded since records began in 1986. Some river basins in southern Colorado — including the Rio Grande, the San Juan, the Animas and the Arkansas — had less than half of normal snowpack on Wednesday.
“We have very little winter left,” Domonkos said. “There’s essentially no chance for us to get back to normal snowpack.”
Colorado’s mountains and streams will begin to see increased water flows from the melting this week, according to the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.
Flows in the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs will likely more than double in the next seven days, from 124 cubic feet per second on Wednesday to more than 400 cfs late next week. The Animas River in Durango could hop from winter flows hovering around 300 cfs to more than 1,000 cfs by the end of next week.
Those flows are still far lower than peak runoff flows that will come later this spring and summer. But expected extended warm temperatures, paired with the “extremely grim” snowpack, mean those peak flows will also be lower than normal, said Cody Moser, a hydrologist with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, at a briefing Wednesday.
Across the Colorado River Basin — which includes a large swath of western Colorado — those flows are expected to be at or below 70% of the average recorded between 1991 and 2020, he said.
Across the Colorado River Basin, “I think it’s highly likely that we’ve already seen peak snowpack,” Moser said.
The vast majority of Colorado’s water supply comes from its winter snowpack. The lack of snow has water providers across the state enacting drought restrictions or preparing to do so.
Denver Water — which serves 1.5 million people across the Front Range — will likely skip declaring a drought watch and instead skip to the next step by imposing Stage 1 water restrictions, Nathan Elder, the utility’s water supply manager, said Tuesday.
Those restrictions — last implemented in 2013 — would require mandatory reductions in outdoor water use.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday activated the state Drought Task Force to address the dire conditions. The task force will monitor conditions across the state and recommend mitigation efforts to Polis. The governor last activated the task force in 2020.
If conditions continue to deteriorate, Polis could declare a drought emergency and seek federal disaster assistance.
“Colorado is experiencing the warmest year so far in our 131-year record, and one of the driest,” Polis said in a news release. “Activating the Drought Task Force will help ensure we are protecting one of our most precious resources by closely tracking impacts, supporting communities, and coordinating better as we prepare for the year ahead.”
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DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed forward Adam Beckman to a two-year contract through the 2027-28 season.
Beckman, 25, played for the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Islanders in 2025-26, recording 51 points (30g/21a) in 68 contests. The forward’s 30 tallies paced the Bridgeport club and marked a professional career-high. Beckman also ranked among Bridgeport-leaders in points (2nd) and assists (T-5th), and landed tied for sixth in goals among all AHL skaters. He picked up one point (0g/1a) in two Calder Cup Playoff Contests this season.
Originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the third round (75th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Beckman’s professional career has included 23 regular-season NHL appearances with the Wild where he registered three points (0g/3a) between 2020-21 and 2023-24. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 30, 2021 at Colorado and notched his first NHL point less than a week later on Nov. 6 at Pittsburgh with an assist (0g/1a).
A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Beckman has collected 199 points (104g/95a) through 304 regular-season AHL games with Bridgeport (2024-26), Utica Comets (2024-25) and Iowa Wild (2020-2024). Additionally, he has picked up two points (1g/1a) in four Calder Cup Playoff contests.
Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound left wing played parts of four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, amassing 196 points (97g/99a) across 153 regular-season games. He collected 12 points (8g/4a) in 15 games in the Chiefs’ 2018-19 playoff run. In the 2019-20 campaign, Beckman received the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL’s top scorer with 107 points (48g/59a) over 63 regular-season contests, and also earned the Four Broncos Trophy as WHL player of the year. Additionally, he paced the circuit in goals and was named to the 2019-20 Western Conference First All-Star Team for his performance.
Colorado
Where to watch Miami Marlins vs Colorado Rockies: TV channel, start time, streaming for July 1
What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
The 2026 MLB season has surpassed the quarter mark, and after each team’s first 40 games, there’s plenty of reasons to tune in all summer long.
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami has already proven doubters wrong by launching 17 home runs, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes consistently looks like the best version of himself on the mound and Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski is throwing harder than any starter in the majors.
The MLB action continues on Wednesday as the Miami Marlins visit the Colorado Rockies.
Here’s everything you need to know to tune in for the first pitch.
See USA TODAY’s sortable MLB schedule to filter by team or division.
What time is Miami Marlins vs Colorado Rockies?
First pitch between the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, July 1.
How to watch Miami Marlins vs Colorado Rockies on Wednesday
All times Eastern and accurate as of Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 6:34 a.m.
- Matchup: MIA at COL
- Date: Wednesday, July 1
- Time: 8:40 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Coors Field
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- TV: Rockies.TV and Marlins.TV
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Watch MLB all season long with Fubo
MLB regional blackout restrictions apply
MLB scores, results
MLB scores for July 1 games are available on usatoday.com . Here’s how to access today’s results:
See scores, results for all of today’s games.
- Very hot and dry ahead
- Fire weather highlights issued
- Fire danger continues into Independence Day
TUESDAY NIGHT: Winds will slow down a little bit into the overnight hours letting elevated fire conditions ease slightly. Overnight lows will be in the 50s and 60s.
WEDNESDAY: The morning will be less hazy, but that will quickly change with more smoke being dragged across the I-25 corridor with gusts up the 45 MPH. Hot temperatures in the 80s and 90s are expected with very low humidity too. Red flag warnings are active from 10 AM until 10 PM.
Download the KKTV 11 Alert Weather App here:
THURSDAY: Fire weather watches are active for now, but I think those will be upgraded to red flag warnings. Gusty winds, low humidity and temperatures in the 90s and triple digits are expected for some.
FRIDAY: Very similar conditions are expected for Friday compared to Thursday. Very hot temperatures still stick around with gusty winds and low humidity.
THE WEEKEND: The Fourth of July will be hot, windy and dry. Sunday will be the first day that southern Colorado sees any sort of chance for moisture on the horizon.
Copyright 2026 KKTV. All rights reserved.
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