Denver sets record for 90 degree days

Posted by egable on October 22nd, 2008 filed in Climate change

Temperatures are on the rise across Colorado, with Denver setting a record for the number of 90 degree days, according to a report released today by Environment Colorado.

According to the National Climatic Data Center, 2007 tied for the second warmest year on record globally and was the 10th warmest year on record in the United States. According to NASA, seven of the eight warmest years on record globally occurred between 2001 and 2007. These record temperatures are part of a trend toward rising temperatures resulting from global warming.

Environment Colorado’s report — title “Feeling the Heat: Global Warming and Rising Temperatures in the United States” — compares government temperature data for the years 2000-2007 with the historical average, or “normal,” temperature for the preceding 30 years, 1971-2000. The data were collected at 255 weather stations with the highest quality data in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Key findings for Colorado include:
• In 2007, the average temperature in Colorado Springs was 2.1°F above normal.
• Above-average temperatures in Alamosa, Colorado Springs and Grand Junction in 2007 are part of a warming trend. Between 2000 and 2007, the average temperature was over 2°F above the historical average in each of those cities. Nationally, the average temperature during this eight-year period was at least 0.5°F above normal at nearly 90 percent of the weather stations.
• In 2007, Pueblo experienced average maximum temperatures — the highest temperatures recorded on a given day — of 2.5°F above normal.
• Over the course of 2007, Denver experienced 54 days where the temperature hit at least 90°F, which is 20 days more than the historical average. Extreme heat can have serious implications for human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion and even death.
• Colorado Springs experienced average minimum temperatures — the lowest temperatures recorded on a given day, usually at night — of 2.3°F above normal in 2007. Warmer nighttime summer temperatures exacerbate the public health effects of extreme heat, since people need cooler nighttime temperatures to recover from excessive heat exposure during the day.

A recent Bush Administration report said it is “very likely” that more people will die in the United States during extremely hot periods in the future. In addition, the report identified water shortages from early snowmelt, degraded air quality, wildfires, heat waves and drought as particular risks for Colorado and the Intermountain West.