Pending verification by the Colorado Climate Center and the National Weather Service, Colorado may have hit its all-time hottest temperature on record last month.
A reading of 115 degrees was observed at the John Martin Dam, near Lamar, in southeast Colorado on July 20, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Pueblo’s database. While NWS Pueblo said last week that they had “no reason to believe it is a bad reading,” the record must pass a verification process before officially etching its way into the history books.
“It’s basically verifying that the thermometer is correct and verifying the data,” said Greg Heavener, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Pueblo. “We’re just basically confirming with them to see if it’s a good observation or a bad observation.”
Colorado’s current all-time hottest temperature on record is 114 degrees, which has been officially set on two different occasions. The most recent instance was in Sedgwick on July 11, 1954. The first 114-degree reading took place on July 1, 1933, in Las Animas.
In order to properly verify the possible new 115-degree record, the Colorado Climate Center and the NWS office in Pueblo must ensure that the data is accurate. That may potentially include a visit to the site the reading was taken at to make sure no new installations — think heat-absorbing concrete or sand — may have artificially inflated the number.
“Further investigations, including a possible site visit, will take place before the record can become official,” said assistant Colorado state climatologist Becky Bolinger.
That said, initial indications show the reading is accurate. The weather service pays regular visits to data sites such as the one at John Martin Dam to ensure climatological accuracy and consistency.
“Up until this point, the data (from John Martin Dam) has been very good data,” Heavener said.
The July 20 reading was, in essence, accidentally uncovered by Washington D.C.-based meteorologist Ian Livingston last week. Livingston posted a tweet last Thursday listing hottest temperatures by state for the month of July, a graphic that included the 115 degree reading. That tweet caught the attention of Bolinger, who then began the process of running numbers.
Colorado's official state record is 114°. Can you tell me which station shows the 115°?
— Becky Bolinger (@ClimateBecky) August 1, 2019
A nearby reading of 111 degrees on the same day, July 20, may add speculation that the reading is indeed accurate. Pueblo hit 103 degrees on July 20th. Denver hit 87 degrees on the 20th, though it hit 101 the day before.
No firm timeline has been given for verification of the new state record, but an official answer could come as soon as this week.
“We’re working with the Colorado Climate Center up in Fort Collins to verify that the information was correct,” Heavener said. “Nothing is set in stone, it’ll probably be a couple more days.”