When a cold snap hit the Front Range in early August, many people thought fall had come ahead of schedule, only for the summer heat to return.
With lower temperatures teasing the Front Range once again, the question becomes: “Is Denver in ‘false fall’ or is the weather here to stay?”
“False fall” isn’t a real meteorological term, but a local reference to a cold snap that comes near the end of summer and fools people into believing the fall weather will come early. It falls right between “fire season” and “second summer.”
Now, with a week of temperature highs in the mid-70s ahead, National Weather Service meteorologist Bernie Meier says the season is here to stay — for real this time.
And after several heat-driven weeks with above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation in Denver, the arrival of fall weather is more than welcome.
“We won’t see much more of those hot summer-time temperatures,” Meier said. “We could maybe see another 90-degree day or two toward the end of September, but that hot weather is likely done for the Denver area.”
It’s hard to tell for sure though, because Colorado has such weather extremes and things can change rapidly, he said.
Looking at the forecasted temperatures for the next week, Meier said that for the first time in weeks, none of the highs will break 80 degrees, with Sunday coming the closest at 79 degrees.
“Those mid to high 70-degree temperatures are characteristic of the transition into fall,” he said. “We’re pretty on track for this time of year.”
Beyond next week, the National Weather Service forecasted stable temperatures, with highs remaining in that mid- to high-70s range and overnight temperatures reaching the high 40s and low 50s.
“We’re not anticipating another strong warm-up, and we also don’t see a strong cool down on the horizon,” Meier said. “This is fall-like weather, and it should hang around until winter.”
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
