Statewide, this past October was the second hottest on record and the hottest in 50 years, according to the Colorado Climate Center. In Summit County, average temperatures were 7 degrees warmer than normal throughout the entire month. On Oct. 3, the temperature hit 71 degrees in Summit County, tying the record for that day set in 1952, according to the National Weather Service. Then, two days later, on Oct. 5, the temperature hit 75 degrees, shattering the previous record high of 72 degrees set in 1958. Another two days passed, and the weather station in Dillon recorded a high temperature of 72 degrees, tying the all-time record high for that date set in 1954. “When I moved here 20 years ago, boy, it started snowing around Labor Day, sometimes it snowed certainly past the 4th of July,” said Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons. “So our fire season used to be a lot shorter. Now, 20 years later, I’m the sheriff who is responsible for these wildfires. Wildfire season, as I see it now, goes from snow melt to snow fall.” Read more ...