Temperatures at Denver International Airport climbed to record highs on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
As of 2:28 p.m., temperatures at DIA had reached 68 degrees, according to the weather service. The previous Feb. 15 record of 67 degrees was set in 2017.
The Sunday record is more than 20 degrees above Denver’s “normal” Feb. 15 high of 45 degrees, weather service records show.
DENVER — The Mile High City is experiencing one of its warmest winters on record.
While people are enjoying t-shirt weather and outdoor dining in February, experts are also warning of increased wildfire risks.
This winter has been undeniably different for Denver — and the numbers tell the story. The Denver7 Weather Team says Denver has recorded 29 days at 60 degrees or above this winter. That’s only behind the winter of 1981, which saw 34 such days.
Denver7 spoke with Bernie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder, who explained what’s driving the unusual weather pattern.
“There’s been a dome of high pressure over the western part of the country, and so that pushes the storm track across Montana, northern part of the country, and even into Canada,” Meier said.
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Meanwhile, Meier cautioned against attributing this single season to climate change.
“If you start stacking seasons like this on top of each other, or having five out of 10 years or 7 out of 15 years, then, yeah, maybe you can start pointing towards, more specifically, climate change. But kind of a one-year wonder here, you really can’t pinpoint on that one thing alone,” Meier said.
He emphasized that this weather pattern does come with significant risks.
Those risks are something South Metro Fire Rescue is monitoring every day.
“I mean, even myself, I’m really enjoying the warm temperatures right now, but that does pose the risk of wildfire,” said Matthew Assell, public information officer for South Metro.
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Saturday is expected to bring breezy conditions with abnormally low humidity and dry conditions — a combination that heightens fire danger.
The fire rescue’s message to the community is clear: Enjoy the weather but stay vigilant.
“Don’t let the potential danger hold you back, but just keep in mind that what you may normally consider safe in February might not be safe right now,” Assell said.
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Coloradans on the Front Range may lose power this week as strong winds and critical wildfire conditions hit the state, Xcel Energy warned customers on Monday.
Strong winds will blow across Colorado starting Wednesday afternoon and may prompt a “targeted Public Safety Power Shutoff” to reduce wildfire risks, according to the Xcel alert.
Fire danger will be elevated because of warm, dry weather over the last several weeks, including a recent 10-day stretch of near-record temperatures on the Front Range, the utility said.
“Energy crews will restore power as quickly as safe conditions permit,” Xcel officials stated in a news release. “Xcel Energy’s top priority is protecting customers and communities.”
During a public safety power shutoff, Xcel proactively cuts off power to areas with an elevated wildfire risk, according to the utility.
“Proactively shutting off power is not a step we take lightly,” the company stated on its website. “We consider weather, wind speeds, relative humidity, fuel moisture and temperature as well as critical customers and infrastructure before deciding to implement a PSPS.”
Power restoration will begin after the high winds and fire danger subside, according to the website.
The timeline for restoration can range from several hours to several days, depending on the area, utility officials said. Crews need to patrol the entire line to ensure it’s safe before it can be re-energized.
Even if Xcel does not proactively shut off power, the utility still expects to implement what it calls “enhanced powerline safety settings” on Wednesday.
That means power lines will remain active, but they will be more sensitive and will shut off if issues are detected, such as a tree branch or other object touching the line, Xcel officials said in the release.
Xcel customers can monitor current outages online and report outages from their accounts. Customers may also report an outage by texting “OUT” to 98936 or “STAT” to check the status of an outage.
Near-record temperatures are forecast for Denver on Thursday amid one of the city’s longest snowless streaks on record, but cooler weather is on the horizon, according to the National Weather Service.
Denver will see two more days with afternoon highs in the 70s before daytime temperatures begin to drop, forecasters said.
Starting Monday, the city can expect maximum temperatures in the mid-50s and overnight lows near freezing, but a solid snow forecast remains elusive, according to the weather service.
With no snow expected through at least Monday, Denver is on track to document its fourth-latest snow on record, according to weather service data. If no snow falls by Wednesday, this season’s first snow will pass the third-latest spot.
The last time it snowed in Denver was on April 18, according to the weather service. By Monday, it will have been 213 days without snow, marking Denver’s fifth-longest consecutive snowless stretch.
