The first day of fall is here, bringing warm and sunny weather perfect for getting out and about this season.
Saturday and Sunday starts fall off with near-normal highs of 78 degrees on both days. Both days will be slightly windy, with gusts of up to 21 mph.
Skies will be mostly clear and sunny all weekend, so you might want to pack sunscreen if you’ll be enjoying any of the pumpkin patches or the two Reba McEntire-themed corn mazes that opened this week.
If you’ll be out in the evenings this weekend, though, plan for brisk and slightly windy nights, with lows of 45 degrees Saturday and 47 degrees Sunday and wind gusts of up to 16 mph.
Past this weekend, Denver will heat up above normal to highs in the mid-80s. The warmest day next week is expected to be Thursday, when the high is 86 degrees.
It might just be a good time to escape the warmer weather to the mountains, where temperatures are expected to be in the 50s and 60s and prime leaf-peeping season could reach its peak. It could also be the perfect time to take that scenic road trip through the high country.
Campers and hikers, leaf peepers and anyone getting outdoors should also be mindful of fire danger, as the sunny days ahead will also have higher winds that will elevate fire weather conditions.
Dry and windy today with seasonal temperatures. Peak gusts 45-55 mph in/near the Front Range Mountains/Foothills this morning, 25-35 mph across the plains, strongest along the northern border. Stronger gusts will taper off this afternoon. #COwx pic.twitter.com/J1nvhtomHl
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 23, 2023
Todd Farrow, park manager for Golden Gate Canyon State Park, a prime location for experiencing the fall changing of the leaves, warned visitors to be mindful that even parking in the wrong spot could stir up fires.
“We don’t allow any parking along the roadway,” he said. “It destroys vegetation. And with all the moisture we’ve gotten this year, you can see how tall all these grasses are. An exhaust system or a catalytic converter parked over that could spark a wildfire.”
