TL;DR: Fort Collins, Colorado just recorded 90°F on back-to-back October days — the first time in the city’s 140+ years of weather records that the mercury hit 90 in October. The old October record of 88°F, set as recently as 2024, fell twice in 48 hours.
In more than 140 years of keeping records, Fort Collins, Colorado had never once hit 90 degrees in October. This week, it happened twice. The official weather station at Colorado State University registered 90°F on both October 5 and October 6, 2026 — about 15 degrees above normal — smashing an October record that had stood, in one form or another, for a century, the Fort Collins Coloradoan reports.
A Record That Stood for 100 Years — Broken Twice in 48 Hours
The previous October record was 88°F, reached three times: October 2, 2024, October 16, 1991, and October 17, 1926. Monday’s and Tuesday’s readings didn’t just edge past it — they blew through it with 90s, a temperature October in northern Colorado had simply never produced. The records, maintained through the Colorado Climate Center, stretch back into the 1800s, making these officially the hottest October days in recorded Fort Collins history.
The Latest 90-Degree Day Ever — By More Than a Week
Before this week, the latest date Fort Collins had ever recorded a temperature of 90° or higher was September 28 — a 91°F reading in 2011. This week’s readings pushed that seasonal milestone about eight days later into the calendar. In a region where October usually means crisp mornings, changing aspens, and the first thoughts of snow, two October 90s in a row is genuinely unprecedented territory.
Part of a Wider Fall Heat Pattern
Northern Colorado isn’t alone in sweating through autumn. Much of the western U.S. has seen an extended warm spell this October, with high pressure parking over the region and shutting out the cooler air that typically arrives by now. For Fort Collins residents, the whiplash is real: neighborhoods that will be raking leaves and prepping snowblowers by Halloween just lived through days more typical of early August.
Relief Is Coming — Eventually
The National Weather Service forecast at the time called for mid-80s warmth through much of the week, with the first real cool-down and a chance of showers arriving around October 11. If that holds, northern Colorado gets one more stretch of summer weather before fall finally asserts itself — and the records go back in the vault for another hundred years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Fort Collins ever hit 90 in October before 2026?
No. Before October 5, 2026, Fort Collins had never recorded a temperature in the 90s in October in more than 140 years of records. The previous October record was 88°F.
What was the previous October heat record in Fort Collins?
88°F, reached on October 2, 2024, October 16, 1991, and October 17, 1926, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
What were the exact temperatures in Fort Collins this week?
The official station at Colorado State University recorded 90°F on both October 5 and October 6, 2026 — roughly 15 degrees above normal for early October.
What was the latest 90-degree day in Fort Collins before this?
September 28, when it hit 91°F in 2011. The October 2026 readings moved the latest-ever 90°+ date about eight days later in the year.
How far back do Fort Collins weather records go?
Records kept through the Colorado Climate Center date back into the 1800s — more than 140 years of continuous observations.
Is the heat expected to break?
The National Weather Service forecast called for mid-80s warmth through the week, with the first real cool-down and shower chances arriving around October 11.
Why is it so hot in Colorado in October?
A persistent high-pressure system parked over the western U.S. has kept cool autumn air out, extending summer-like warmth well into October across the region.
