It's no secret that Colorado is home to some pretty extreme weather.

I've worn shorts in January before, and donned a heavy winter coat in May. Heck, Coloradans even go skiing in July.

With all these ups and downs, it can be hard to guess which weather-related phenomenon truly affects the Centennial state most.

Luckily, meteorologist Ian Livingston decided to put in the work. He created a map demonstrating the "most frequent cause of weather fatalities by NWS County Warning Area," dividing the U.S. by its 122 National Weather Service centers.

According to Livingston, the most dangerous weather-related killer in Colorado is...avalanches.

Map of weather fatalities in the U.S. Courtesy of Ian Livingston.
Map of weather fatalities in the U.S. Courtesy of Ian Livingston.
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Since 1999, the snowy landslides have taken around 119 lives, averaging to about six per year. This makes Colorado the leader for avalanche-related deaths in the U.S., with Alaska coming in second.

Avalanches were an especially big hazard this past winter, causing 8 deaths in Colorado. While we all got to enjoy an awesome ski season, last winter's long and heavy snowfall increased the risk of avalanches.

While avalanches tend to affect the mountains, most weather-related fatalities on the Front Range are caused by flooding and lightning, according to The Denver Post. 

Along with avalanches, flooding, and lightning, other weather-related Colorado killers include heat, tornadoes, and general winter weather.

Even though it's hard to believe, considering our current scorching-hot weather, winter is coming (I don't even watch Game of Thrones, but that's a reference, right?) back to Colorado soon.

Study up on your avalanche safety here, so you can enjoy a safe and fun Colorado winter.

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