Denver’s autumn heat wave continues, with the city setting a new record high temperature today.
The thermometer climbed to 92 degrees at DIA, breaking the previous record of 89 that was set in 1994, according to the National Weather Service.
A large, upper-level ridge centered over Utah, combined with sunny skies, is feeding the heat, said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist. The ridge is fueling heat throughout most of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
“It’s creating above-normal warmth,” Fredin said. “This one is pretty strong.”
In Denver on Sunday a 90-degree reading tied the daily record for the day, which had been set in 1892. Record highs were also set in Denver earlier this month on Sept. 19 (96 degrees) and Sept. 20 (94 degrees), Fredin said.
This year, Denver has seen 49 days of above 90-degree heat, said Jim Kalina, also a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The most Denver has seen in one year is 61 days of more than 90 degrees, Kalina said.
On Monday Los Angeles experienced searing heat, with a high temperature of 113 degrees, making it the city’s hottest day ever since records began in 1877. The 113-degree mark smashed the daily record high there – set in 1963 – by seven degrees.
“A lot of it has to do with dry conditions and low humidity,” Fredin said. “That allows temperatures to climb real fast.”
The strong, upper ridge is expected to remain in place through the end of this week and into early October, but a couple of “cools fronts” should sneak through, Fredin said.
In Colorado, the heat should back off a bit starting tomorrow. Daytime high temperatures will drop and won’t approach records, Fredin said, but highs will still remain above the normal range through the week.
Denver’s high temperature is forecast to hit 83 degrees on Wednesday and 80 on Thursday, according to the weather service.
Normal high temperatures in Denver at this time of year are typically in the lower- to mid-70s.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
