Denver nears 90 degrees in October, a first in more than 150 years

Denver's fall heat is flirting with history.

The forecast called for 88 degrees Monday; a 90-degree high would have been the latest such reading in the city in over 150 years of recordkeeping, a Colorado meteorologist said.

Here's what to know

Kylie Bearse (@KylieBearse) used a TikTok to describe the unusual warmth in Denver. The city was expected to reach 88 degrees, keeping temperatures in the upper 80s and putting it on pace for one of its hottest early-October days on record. Bearse said that if Denver hit 90, it would have been "the latest that we've ever recorded hitting 90 degrees."

@kyliebearse Um, can someone tell Colorado it's October? 🥵 Record heat in Denver Monday, October 5th with 80s sticking around all week long. There is some hope for a cool down and some moisture next week 🤞🏻 #denver #colorado #heat #fall ♬ original sound - KylieBearse | CO Meteorologist

With 87 degrees as the benchmark, Bearse added, "I do think we're going to break the record, though."

The overnight warmth was notable, too. Denver tied a record 55-degree morning low Monday even though, as Bearse noted, "We should be waking up to temperatures in the low 40s."

In the comments, she wrote: "I am so over it. Let's not skip fall!"

More background

Bearse noted it felt like August for the first week of October.

Even with "a lot more cloud cover" expected Tuesday, the forecast was for Denver to stay unusually warm, calling for 86 degrees as the high. On Wednesday, that was 84, and forecast highs remained in the 80s through Saturday.

Unseasonable heat can raise health risks when nights stay too warm to limit relief, while dry conditions and delayed seasonal cooling can strain gardens, water supplies, and outdoor workers' routines. 

"My roses are about to bloom again," one commenter said, while another added: "I prefer heat to cold, but we NEED some cooler weather and some snow. Lots of snow."

What can be done?

Relief, Bearse said, would require viewers to "take the 10-day forecast, stretch it all the way out," though she acknowledged that the end of the 10-day outlook is not reliable.

"It is important for showing us trends," the meteorologist said, pointing to cooler conditions ahead.

The same long-range outlook also showed moisture possibly arriving with that cooldown, which the forecaster welcomed after a stretch that felt more like late summer than fall.

Where can I learn more?

There are plenty of examples of unusual warmth well outside peak summer. 

• In Texas, dozens of cities shattered extreme heat records during an unusually warm winter stretch.

• In Florida, residents endured triple-digit temperatures for the first time in recorded history.

• In Australia, officials documented the highest-ever October temperatures as heat records fell nationwide.

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