Denver skies may be impacted by wildfire smoke today

The extreme heat certainly isn’t helping!

Lucy Wang snaps a photo as clouds and haze from two nearby fires hang over the hills near State Highway 93 in Boulder County. Oct. 18, 2020.

Lucy Wang snaps a photo as clouds and haze from two nearby fires hang over the hills near State Highway 93 in Boulder County. Oct. 18, 2020.

Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite

Is the sky looking a little different to you today?

Wildfire smoke is likely headed back to the Front Range this morning. Scott Landes, a state air-quality forecaster, expects high levels of both ozone and particulate matter — which can be harmful to human health.

“In general, if you are going to be outside, do it in the morning, and maybe slow it down by 50 percent or so,” he said.

The smoke is coming from fires burning in Arizona and New Mexico. Cooler weather and rain should help clean up the air by the end of the week.

The statewide extreme heat is brought on partly by high pressure and partly by ongoing drought.

Here are the latest readings from downtown. Read more about these numbers.

More on being so, so hot:

Kevin looked into data in 2019 showing that Denver is hotter in places where people are less likely to be white and more likely to earn less than people living in other neighborhoods. Other maps show how residents who are more vulnerable to high heat often live in areas where the problem is worse.

If you’re going to be outside, be careful. And maybe refer to this transplant’s guide to the sun in Colorado.

Did it seem like a wet winter? Yeah, not in most of the state.

Weird times

Denverite is powered by you. In these weird times, the local vigilance, the local context, the local flavor — it’s powered through your donations. If you’d miss Denverite if it disappeared tomorrow, donate today.

You’re our superpower

Denverite supporters have made the decision to financially support local journalism that matters to you. Ready to tell your networks why? Sharing our “About” page with your own personal comments could really help us out.

You’re our superpower

Denverite members have made the decision to financially support local journalism that matters to you. Ready to tell your networks why? Sharing our “About” page with your own personal comments could really help us out.