#FFFFFF
Interpreting the data
What these data tell us:
- These data tell us the number of extreme heat and precipitation days per county per year, how much a county is affected by severe drought per year, and the location and size of historical wild fires in Colorado.
What these data do not tell us:
- These data do not tell us about the impacts of each climate component.
- Comparisons with health outcome data or other environmental conditions should be done with caution
Numerator/denominator information
Event/numerator data
- Number of days with a maximum temperature or heat index is 95°F or higher.
- Number of days where the precipitation level is higher than 95% of all other days.
- Number of weeks out of the year with severe (or worse) drought conditions, and the percent of each county’s area that is affected by these conditions.
- Historical wildfire perimeters.
Denominator data
- Not applicable.
Limitations
The data presented here may not be a true reflection of the heat, precipitation, or drought conditions. Modeled data perform relatively well in estimating temperature and precipitation, but the estimates may differ when compared to weather station-based observations. An area may be described as having higher or lower temperatures/precipitation than what actually occurred.
Precipitation estimates do not separate type of precipitation (snow, rain, sleet, etc.).
Historical wildfire perimeters may not reflect smaller wildfires or non-wild fires.