The weather in metro Denver on Tuesday will be warm and dry under mostly sunny skies and no rain will fall, according to the National Weather Service.
Those conditions favor the buildup of air pollution and, for the second day in a row, state health officials issued an air quality alert, warning that the concentrations of ground-level ozone likely will reach levels unhealthy for children, the elderly, and people with breathing problems.
The high temperature in Denver on Tuesday will be 89 degrees, slightly above the seasonal norm, decreasing to 87 degrees on Wednesday, weather service forecasters said. At night, the temperatures will decrease to around 57 degrees. Light wind likely will blow across the city at speeds up to 11 miles per hour, with a few gusts at speeds up to 18 mph, forecasters said.
On Wednesday, scattered afternoon thunderstorms may roll down from mountain foothills across Denver. Government meteorologists estimated the likelihood of precipitation at 40% on Wednesday.
Only the residents of Colorado’s far northeastern corner face possible thunderstorms on Tuesday.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment air quality alert covers Douglas, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, Broomfield, Boulder, Larimer, and Weld counties, effective through 4 p.m. The relatively warm and dry weather will lead to ozone at unhealthy levels, mostly during the afternoon in areas near the mountain foothills from Golden northward to Boulder, health officials said.
This “ozone action day” alert includes a request that residents reduce driving of non-electric vehicles and other activities that require the combustion of gas and diesel. More air pollution in the region could worsen air quality, officials said, advising the elderly, people with respiratory ailments and children to limit outdoor activity.
