Morning Low Temp Tied 79-Year-Old Record For Denver

By Chris Spears and Ashton Altieri

DENVER (CBS4) - Millions woke up to a late summer chill in Colorado on Monday with at least one place recording the coldest temperature in 79 years.

Denver International Airport dropped to 46°F for a total of 17 minutes between 6:25 a.m. and 6:42 which tied the record low for August 20 set in 1939.

The temperature in Yuma dropped to 45°F at 5:54 a.m. which broke the previous record of 46°F set in 2016.

Some places in the foothills and mountains west of Denver fell into the 30s.

The low was 26°F in Walden according to CBS4 Weather Watcher Mark Russell. He said that birds were doing a polar plunge in his iceberg laden birdbath. Along with Tabernash, 26°F seems to be the coldest temperature recorded in Colorado Monday morning.

The tied record low in Denver is just the second record low set in Denver in 2018. Alternatively, Denver has experienced eight record highs so far this year including a tie for the all-time record of 105° on June 28.

The chilly morning followed high temperatures on Sunday that felt more like early October along the Front Range.

Denver's high on Sunday (Aug. 19) was just 72°F which is about 15 degrees below normal of the middle of August.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

Ashton Altieri is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. Watch him on the CBS4 Morning News weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. Connect with Ashton on Facebook and on Twitter @AshtonCBS4.