It is getting warmer (a 3.4° F rise in average annual temperature over the last century) in Rocky Mountain National Park. What does it mean to see a 3.4° F rise in average temperature? Imagine climate change is like a fever – if your temperature went up 3.4° F, you would feel sick. Warming in Rocky Mountain National Park can similarly affect the park's natural resources. Figure 1: In the 20th century, the area including Rocky Mountain National Park experienced a warming trend. The five-year rolling average (thick red line) allows the viewer to look beyond annual variability to focus on long-term trends. (Analysis of PRISM data, original source Daly 2008).