Climate researchers: Colorado to get hotter

DENVER - Climate researchers say increases of up to 4 degrees in Colorado's temperatures over the next 40 years will force state officials to craft drought plans as stream flows shrink.

The report by the University of Colorado Western Water Assessment predicts that stream flows in the Colorado River Basin will diminish from 5 percent to 20 percent as summers and springs become hotter.

The study commissioned by the Colorado Water Conservation Board also anticipates little change in annual precipitation even as temperatures increase.

The study was released ahead of drought conference that begins Wednesday in Denver. It's expected to last three days.