The record-breaking Grand Junction heatwave got off to a strong start, with Monday’s high of 102 degrees breaking the previous June 14 high of 101 that had fallen in 1936. Sunday’s high of 101 degrees followed the previous high of June 13th.
In addition, many locations in western Colorado and eastern Utah reported record-breaking high temperatures on Sunday, including Aspen, Cortez / Montezuma County Airport, Craig, Durango, Eagle, Montrose, Ridgway, Rifle, and Moab and Vernal, Utah National Weather Service.
These high temperatures are expected to persist throughout the week, with highs not falling below the triple digits, at least until late at the weekend, according to Grand Junction meteorologist Dennis Phillips.
Today’s high is forecast at 105 degrees, Phillips said, followed by 105 on Wednesday, 104 on Thursday and 100 on Friday.
These temperatures approach the highest Grand Junction temperature ever recorded, 106 degrees.
“We’ll know in the next few days if we can do that,” said Phillips.
An overheating warning is in place in the region until Saturday, and dangerously hot conditions are expected.
It’s been a while since an excessive heat warning was issued in Colorado, Phillips said, but what is really noteworthy about the current situation is how many days in a row it is expected to rise above 100 degrees.
“Extreme heat will greatly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, especially for those who work or participate in outdoor activities,” the warning reads.
Mesa County Public Health issued a press release reminding the public to be careful with heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and urged residents to take extra precautions when working or spending time outdoors.
The heat wave even breaks records that are not directly related to temperature.
Kelly Flenniken, director of community relations at Xcel Energy, said the company expects to hit its highest recorded peak consumption in the region sometime this week.
“If not today, then sometime this week,” said Flenniken on Monday.
In general, people turn up their air conditioners when temperatures rise, Flenniken said.
The previous high was recorded on June 19, 2017, said Flenniken.
Although the Grand Junction area has seen some power outages in the past few weeks, Flenniken said Xcel does not expect any outages during this weather event.
The previous failures were equipment failures and were unrelated to temperature, Flenniken added.
While the company isn’t expecting any outages, Flenniken said, crews are available in case something happens. She encouraged residents to contact Xcel as soon as possible in the event of a failure.
Ironically, the weather service is monitoring Monsoon Awareness Week 2021 from June 13-19. There may be no monsoons in the forecast, but Phillips said there is a small chance of thunderstorms every day this week that could potentially bring the temperature down by the end of the week.
Any dampness would really help, he said, especially since the drought in the area made things a bit worse.
“We need a lot of moisture to get out of this hot, dry pattern,” said Phillips.
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