DENVER — Spring officially started at 8:46 a.m. on Friday, but it has really felt more like summer! Denver shattered the all-time hottest March temperature Thursday with a high of 85 degrees. The previous record was 84 degrees, last set on March 26, 1971. The city broke the daily record as well, crushing the previous one of 81 degrees, last set in 1907. Today (Friday) we tied that all-time march record with a high of 85 degrees again at DIA.
We easily broke the previous record high which was 80 degrees, set in 1907.
Starting tonight, it’s still very warm out there and not cooling off much compared to what we’d normally expect in March. The same weather pattern that brought record heat on Thursday is sticking around, so overnight temperatures will stay mild and set the stage for another unusually hot day tomorrow.
Saturday is really the headline day. Temperatures are expected to climb even higher than what we’ve already seen, likely breaking more all-time March records by a few degrees. A few spots around the Denver area could even hit 90°F in the afternoon, which is extremely rare for this time of year. Winds will start to pick up later in the day, and that’ll help push temperatures even higher.
With all this heat and very dry air, fire weather is a big concern. Conditions will be elevated to critical, especially on Saturday when the winds increase. That combination of heat, low humidity, and gusty winds means fires could start and spread quickly, so it’s a day to be extra careful with anything that could spark one.
We do get a bit of a break on Sunday as a cold front moves through Saturday night. It’ll knock temperatures back closer to normal, but “normal” still means pretty mild, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. Skies stay mostly dry, and there’s not much in the way of moisture coming with that front.
Looking ahead to early next week, the warmth comes right back. Monday will already be warming up again, with 70s returning, then near 80 by Tuesday and possibly mid to upper 80s by Wednesday. There’s a good chance we could challenge record highs again, and with the dry pattern sticking around, fire weather concerns will likely ramp back up as well.
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