Wild weather week ahead; several records that could be broken
DENVER — It will be quite an interesting stretch of weather from Sunday to Wednesday in the Denver metro area with several records up for grabs. There is only one actually forecast to break, but it could be close to 10 records.
Sunday heat: The record is 97 degrees. The forecast is calling for it to reach 99 degrees.
Latest 100-degree day: If it were to hit 100 degrees on Sunday, it would only be the second time in September recorded history that has happened. And it would be the latest ever recorded 100-degree temperature for Denver. The forecast is 99 degrees.
Tuesday cold: The record low for Tuesday is 34 degrees. It’s forecast to fall to 35 degrees.
Tuesday low/max (the coldest high temperature for the date): The record is 42 degrees and it’s forecast to only reach 42 degrees.
Wednesday cold: The record low for Wednesday is 31 degrees. It’s forecast to fall to 31 degrees.
Wednesday low/max): The record low high temperature for Wednesday is 53 degrees. It’s forecast to reach 58 degrees.
Two-day swing (from high temperature to low temperature over two days): The record is 76 degrees. The forecast from Sunday to Tuesday is 64 degrees. The forecast from Monday to Wednesday is 58 degrees. While neither of these two swings would make the top 10 biggest of all time, the 64-degree swing might be a record for September. There are no listings for monthly temperature swings, but no September dates are listed in the 21 biggest in Denver history.
One-day swing: The record is 66 degrees. The forecast for Monday to Tuesday is 53 degrees. While a 53-degree swing would not make the top 20 all time, it would be the second-biggest September swing in Denver recorded history. The biggest one-day September swing is listed as 55 degrees in 2010.
90 to snow: It’s never gone from 90 degrees to measurable snow in Denver in fewer than two days. The 90 on Sunday is a given, and it could even hit 90 on Monday, although that is unlikely. Then measurable snow will be possible at Denver International Airport, the official recording station for the city. That is not forecast at the moment either, but it should be close.
Earliest snow: The earliest snow ever measured in Denver was on Sept. 3, 1961. That record will not be broken, but if there is measurable snow Tuesday, that would be tied for the second earliest.
Most snow: The most snow Denver has had on Sept. 8, was 0.7 inches in 1962. So just 1 inch would break that record.
Precipitation: This storm will likely feature a lot of different precipitation type such as rain, hail, sleet and graupel. It will also show a lot of initial melting of any frozen precipitation. So that will likely be the more pertinent measurement. The record for Sept. 8 is .71 inches in 2001. The forecast models have been indicating that close to an inch is possible. Denver averages a little less than an inch (.96) of precipitation for the month.