SPM 09-11-2021: Excessive, Record-Breaking Heat in Eastern Colorado

Issue Date: Saturday, September 11th, 2021
Issue Time: 9:15 AM MDT

Summary:

Another day of record-breaking heat was promised and delivered on Friday. Temperatures were in the high 90s along the Western Slopes, Front Range Mountains, Urban Corridor, and Palmer Ridge; and then triple digit highs in the Eastern Plains. “Excessive heat” was recorded at two AWOS stations: Wray at 104 degrees and Burlington at 101 degrees on the Colorado-Kansas border, with many more excessive heat observations on the Kansas side.

Several record highs were broken along the Urban Corridor and Eastern Plains, shared in the following tweet from the Boulder WFO.

Records were broken today across our area! #COwx pic.twitter.com/xVasF4iEkS

— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 11, 2021

In Southern Colorado, all three long-term climate stations broke their daily records again. Alamosa also tied their all-time high September record, with the high of 89 yesterday.

Today was a hot one! Daily record high temperatures were broken at all three main climate sites!!

Colorado Springs: 96 @ 3:28 Previous Record: 90 in 1979
Pueblo: 100 @ 4:32
Previous Record: 99 in 1979
Alamosa: 89 @ 3:15
Previous Record: 85 in 1944#cowx

— NWS Pueblo (@NWSPueblo) September 11, 2021

Any precipitation was limited due to the very hot and dry air in which rain was falling through, resulting in more virga than actual rainfall accumulations. Still, a few Trace – 0.05 observations were made in Western Colorado from scattered convection. No flooding was reported on Friday.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.