Sunny skies and warm temperatures earned Denver just one more day of fun at Elitch Gardens.
The downtown attraction, which has never been open this late into the season, was scheduled to close Saturday, but a late-night decision to stay open for one extra day on Sunday was made because of the anticipated weather.
“When it’s a beautiful day like this, people think of Elitch Gardens,” said Bob Morgan, a spokesperson with Elitch’s.
According to the National Weather Service, Sunday’s high reached the record of 78 degrees, first set in 1931.
Visiting from Kearney, Neb., Stephen Bentley, 19, said the weather in his hometown was currently less than desirable.
“It’s cold and rainy,” he said. “So I really like Denver.”
Bentley also said his day at Elitch’s was even more special than just the unusual weather.
“I’ve never been to a theme park. They don’t have them in Kearney,” he said.
Morgan said about 3,000 people had visited by 4 p.m. for the park’s encore.
“We’ve never tried this before. It’s an exciting thing,” Morgan said.
Temperatures will be cooling off starting today, with a slight chance for rain and snow Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Thursday will be the coolest day this week, reaching a high of 47 degrees.
Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said dry conditions will persist, with the first heavy snow in the Denver metro area out of sight.
“Not in the next seven days,” Fredin said. “We are definitely behind in snow and precipitation.”
