‹‹ Colorado Matters

Stormy or clear skies? Why forecasting in this Colorado town so often misses the mark

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6min 44sec
Student journalist Fenn Garnet
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Colorado Western University student journalist Fenn Garnet at the school’s Gunnison campus, May 23, 2025.

Colorado's weather is unpredictable and forecasts in mountainous parts of the state are notoriously inaccurate. One challenge is the topography and another is the cost of state-of-the-art forecasting equipment. Western Colorado University student, Fenn Garnett, wrote about the problem in his school newspaper and about efforts to improve forecasts in Gunnison, where the school is located.