Patsy Byrd, age 10, of Gastonia, New Jersey for her question:

Why is Colorado always the coldest state?

Your newspaper lists the temperatures in various places across the nation. Before Alaska became a state, the coldest spot was very often Fraser, Colorado. This chilly place is among the ice capped peaks of the high Rockies, Even colder is Taylor Park Dam which holds Colorado's record cold spell when the temperature dropped to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit in February 1951,

Colorado is an inland state of many peaks, valleys and plateaus and this geography plays a part in the weather. The mountain peaks are much colder than the valleys and plateaus and so we find that Colorado is a state of many climates. At one time, Colorado's coldest spots were often the coldest spots in the nation. Since the nation has grown to include Alaska, Colorado's winter cold spots seem a lot warmer.