Tuesday marks the start of a heat wave in Colorado, and many parts of the southwestern U.S., that forecasters say could bring record-high temperatures before the weekend.
The heat wave will push high temperatures into the 90s for many parts of southern Colorado and the Eastern Plains, National Weather Service forecasters in Pueblo said.
By Saturday, the thermometer could read 90 degrees in Trinidad, 92 in La Junta and 93 in Lamar.
In Colorado’s highest town, Leadville, which sits at 10,154 feet in elevation, temperatures are expected to reach 61 degrees by the end of the week. In Woodland Park, at 8,481 feet, temperatures could peak at 75 degrees, forecasters said.
Meteorologists are using the term “heat dome” to describe the cause of the hot weather. The climate phenomenon happens when high pressure lingers over an area and traps warm areas near the surface, while also suppressing clouds and precipitation.
The dome traps high-pressure air, like a lid on a pot, and can create high temperatures and wildfire conditions and exacerbate drought.
The above-average temperatures will heighten wildfire risk as Colorado is already experiencing record-low snowpack levels and drought conditions.
Officials are warning of “critical fire weather” in Colorado, starting Tuesday.
By midmorning, there will be critical fire weather over the northern plains of Colorado, with winds gusting between 35 to 45 mph and low relative humidity, forecasters said.
From Wednesday through Saturday, relative humidity levels will drop to the single digits every day across the plains, the state’s fire division said in its weekly fire briefing. When humidity levels drop, fire behavior increases because finer fuels, like pine needles and grass, become dry much faster.
“So any day where winds are above 25 mph, red flag conditions will develop,” the division wrote. “This may end up being the majority of those days.”
Forecasts show temperatures dropping Sunday, though in many places temperatures will still hover in the mid-70s at the start of next week, according to the National Weather Service.
This is a developing story that will be updated.