DENVER — Hello, summer! We're glad you're here, but it took you longer than usual to get here... what gives?
Denver has seen one of the coldest starts to the summer season in decades. Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park remains closed after another round of snow fell, leaving 5-foot snow drifts in places.
But that all changes this week when summer makes a fashionably-late appearance.
We should finally reach the 90-degree mark in Denver on Thursday. It will be our first 90-degree day of the year. By this time last year, we already saw 16 days with afternoon highs either at or above 90 degrees -- so you see, summer, that's why we're having this talk with you!
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Don't believe us? Let's pull out the records (provided by the National Weather Service).
On average, Denver sees 30 days each year with a high temperature of at least 90 degrees. But in 2012, Denver reached 90 degrees or more on 73 of the 365 days (almost a quarter).
April 30, 1992, was the earliest the barometer reached 90 degrees. And in 1967, we didn't see 90 degrees until July 21 — the latest on the record. But those were extremes. We usually break the 90-degree threshold on or around June 10.
And here it is, almost July.... ugh!
Not to rub it in your face, summer, but we've noticed you have a history of arriving late. Here's what we found out for the latest 90 degrees recorded in Denver since 1872:
- 07/21/1967
- 07/12/1904
- 07/08/1972
- 07/08/1912
- 07/07/1885
- 07/02/1907
- 07/02/1882
- 07/01/1965
- 07/01/1928
- 06/30/1883
Sorry summer for being a bit annoyed, but we were hoping you could be a tad more dependable. But no hard feelings! The dream of the 90s is still alive in Denver!