DENVER — Monday was the warmest day of the year for many Colorado locations including Denver, but the Mile High City came up just short of getting the first 90-degree day of the year.
Denver's official climate station at Denver International Airport measured a high temperature of 87 degrees, despite most other official National Weather Service stations in the metro area reaching or breaking 90 degrees.
The average first 90-degree temperature in Denver comes on June 6, so this year's will be significantly late when it arrives. There is an outside shot at it on Tuesday and another chance on Friday.
If it doesn't happen this week, there will likely be several chances next week as another ridge of high pressure settles over the region.
Denver’s had to wait until July for the first 90 of the year 10 times. The last time it came that late was July 1, 1990.
Most of Denver’s high temperatures have been cooler than normal so far in 2023. Prior to Sunday, it had only hit 80 degrees five times. That’s the fewest since 1982.
This was also the first year that there was no 80-degree temperature in Denver over the first 17 days of June.
But, Denver hasn’t had the cold temperatures either. It’s only dropped below 40 degrees 22 times since April 1 – the fewest cold temperatures in 31 years.
SUMMER OUTLOOK
The Climate Predication Center is calling for a high chance for above average temperatures in July through the end of August. The average temperature in Denver during those months in 71.3 degrees. The average accounts for the high and low temperature each day.
But what about just the high temperatures?
The lack of 90s so far will increase the chances of getting below the average of 45 90-degree days this summer. And will also help keep away for the record of 75 90-degrees set in 2020 or last year’s 67 days.
But the last two times that Denver got a late start on the 90’s like this season – 2019 and 2015, there still ended up being 48 total 90-degree days by the end of September.
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