Back to Colorado TemperatureAir pressure is less at higher elevations and greater at lower elevations. When winds move down from the mountains to the Front Range, they are subjected to increasing pressure. The increased air pressure compresses and warms the winds as they move eastward.
These warmed winds are called chinooks and have been known to raise temperatures by 25-35 degrees Fahrenheit in only a few hours.
Siemer, Eugene G. Colorado Climate. Colorado Experimental Station, 1977. Colorado Experimental Station, 1977.