A high-pressure zone expected to settle over southern Colorado will send temperatures soaring about 10 degrees higher than average this weekend across Southwest Colorado, forecasters said Friday.
The high is expected to reach 90 on Saturday and the mid-90s on Sunday and Monday, said Ellen Heffernan, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
“We’re seeing some very warm temperatures – you could say hot,” she said. “It’s going to stay in the 90s through a good portion of the work week (next week).”
The average high temperature for this time of year in Durango is 83 degrees, Heffernan said. “So we are looking at 10 degrees or more above normal for Sunday and Monday.”
In fact, it may be record-breaking hot. Saturday’s record high was recorded in 2002 at Durango-La Plata County Airport when the mercury hit 91 degrees – one degree hotter than Saturday’s forecast. And Sunday’s record high was recorded in 2006 at the airport when the temperature hit 93 degrees – one degree cooler than this Sunday’s forecast.
Late June and the first couple of weeks in July are typically the hottest time of the year in Southwest Colorado. “Then, typically what happens, is we start getting the monsoons,” Heffernan said.
The heat wave is being felt across the Southwest, including New Mexico and Phoenix, where the mercury is expected to top out at 118 degrees Sunday and 119 degrees Monday.
The high-pressure zone typically means warm temperatures and calm atmospheric conditions.
“The winds down in Southwest Colorado are not expected to reach criteria that we need for critical fire conditions,” Heffernan said. “Things will burn, but fire spread typically won’t be as fast. We’re not looking at the winds being that strong at this point.”
Forecasters said the next chance for moisture is mid-week next week, but there’s not a lot of precipitation, if any, associated with it.
“First off, it will give us a few more clouds, and second, a little bit of a chance for thunderstorms,” Heffernan said.
shane@durangoherald.com
Heat safety tips
Job sites: Stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly, sick and those without air conditioning.
Vehicles: Never leave kids or pets unattended – look before you lock.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
