A northeasterly cold front brought measurable moisture to Denver International Airport for the first time in a month and will drop temperatures to the 70s today in the Front Range.
“We’re not going to get very warm today,” said Frank Benton, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder. “Drizzle will be sloshing up against the foothills.”
Benton said the “backdoor” cold front may keep the northeast corner of the state down into the 60s today, while the Denver area will have temperatures in the 70s.
Lower temperatures, cloud cover, low winds and trace amounts of rain will decrease the fire danger but it won’t eliminate it, he said.
“The humidities are still low,” Benton said. “You could still have idiots throwing cigarettes out their windows.”
Hundreds of foothills residents west of Boulder were evacuated from their homes last night when a new blaze ignited about 3 miles from last week’s Fourmile Canyon fire, which destroyed 166 homes. They were later allowed to return home after firefighters extinguished the 2- to 3-acre fire.
DIA recorded 2/100ths of an inch of moisture overnight, the first measurable moisture since Aug. 19. That’s a long dry spell, Benton said.
Several other rain measuring stations along the front range recorded a trace of moisture.
The clouds will clear out in the afternoon and temperatures will rise.
The high tomorrow is expected to reach the 90s, Benton said. It will stay into the 90s on Monday, but there is a 10 percent chance of thundershowers Monday and another cold front will drop high temperatures into the 70s by Tuesday, Benton said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
