During last weekend’s snowy cold spell, when temperatures fell as low as 5 degrees at Denver International Airport, a disturbing number of Denverites were out and about in shorts.
Maybe those scantily bedecked Denverites were just prepared for temperatures to rise to what will likely be record highs for March, as highs hit 73 degrees on Tuesday and steadily climb to 85 or higher by the weekend.
The record high for March, set in 1971, is 84 degrees. The National Weather Service predicts the city’s temperature may top that mark multiple times this week.
“Thursday, Friday and Saturday, actually all three days, we could set monthly record heat,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Koopmeiners. “So pretty substantial. Temperatures could be as much as 30 degrees above the normals for those dates.”
A large ridge of high pressure over the southwestern U.S. is driving the heat wave.
“It's real strong for this time of year,” Koopmeiners said. “It has some summer characteristics.”
The heat wave follows a dry, warm winter. Snowpack is at record lows in the mountains, raising serious questions about water usage over the summer. Denver Water is already considering watering restrictions for this summer, such as limiting customers to irrigating on two specific days each week, Axios reported. Dry conditions also lead to higher wildfire risks.
“As far as the drought and heat goes, it's not the greatest,” Koopmeiners said.
Even so, bask while you can. Summer could be brutal.
