Denver Weather: Coldest Morning In 6 Months Gives Way To Warmer Afternoon

DENVER (CBS4) - Denver and most of the Front Range experienced the coldest morning since April on Friday morning. Gusty westerly winds will cause temperatures will quickly rebound Friday afternoon while also keeping the fire danger extremely high.

Just before 7 a.m. Friday Denver officially dropped to 22 degrees at DIA where the official thermometer for the city is located. The last time Denver was so cold was on April 17. Most other cities along the urban corridor experienced similar temperatures Friday morning.

After the colder-than-normal temperatures in the morning, afternoon temperatures will reach above normal with highs in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees in the Denver metro area.

The warmup will be triggered by gusty westerly wind that will also keep the fire danger high particularly in the foothills and mountains west of the Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins. A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and includes all of Summit, Park, and Grand Counties.

Existing wildfires like Cameron Peak and East Troublesome could experience further growth and new fire starts are possible. As of Friday morning, the East Troublesome Fire north of Hot Sulphur Springs was burning much hotter than the Cameron Peak Fire and therefore should produce the most smoke. The thickest smoke could again spread over the northern Denver suburbs.

Our warming trend continues into Saturday afternoon before another cold front arrives Saturday evening. Temperatures drop about 15 degrees again for Sunday will completely dry weather continuing.