This afternoon was unseasonably hot, but it wasn’t the kind of record-setting heat Denver has become accustomed to this spring.
Just before 3 p.m., the city’s official monitoring site at Denver International Airport reported 81 degrees, 8 degrees cooler than the . The 30-year average for the date is 71 degrees.
Despite a chance of rain Wednesday, daily highs are expected to climb the rest of the work week in Denver: 82 on Wednesday, 84 on Thursday and 85 on Friday. Daily record highs are in the low 90s.
This afternoon, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued a from El Paso County north to Larimer and Weld counties, including Boulder and Greeley.
Ozone levels are expected to climb into the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category along the Front Range the rest of the afternoon and tonight.
The state health department is advising children and adults with a lung disease, such as asthma, to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion until 11 p.m.
High winds, low humidities and dry grass and brush have prompted a critical “red flag” fire danger warning Wednesday for parts of the Eastern Plains.
Elbert, Washington, Logan, Lincoln, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties are under a red flag warning from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
The National Weather Service expects wind gusts up to 35 mph and humidities as low as 14 percent.
“The strong winds and low humidity will allow rapid spread of any grassland wildfire,” the National Weather Service stated.
Highs from the low 60s to mid-70s are expected in the high country this week.
