Even with the thunderstorms, there will be a decent amount of moisture around but it still doesn’t feel like anything east.ĭM: Can you settle the dry heat versus humid heat debate? Can you say which is better from a scientific standpoint? It’s almost like a pool of water or a dish of water, it’s hard to push that uphill to where we are. That’s because the winds from the Gulf of Mexico blow up into the central part of the U.S. We’re kind of blocked off from the really moist air that you see further east on the plains. GH: It’s not so much the proximity to the sun but just the elevation and where we are in the country. Beaty/Denverite)ĭM: Does our proximity to the sun also contribute to the dry heat versus the humidity back East? For our area, getting into the shade, staying hydrated will really go a long way towards keeping you safe from the heat.Ī shaded sidewalk in West Highland. If you put a thermometer out in the sun, it’s going to spike up to, so to get a consistent temperature we use a shaded measurement. When we measure the temperature, we measure in the shade. Like we talked about, there’s less atmosphere over us, so getting into the shade can provide quite a bit of relief. GH: Shade does provide a lot of relief from the sun. Wear sunscreen.ĭM: I feel like with our closeness to the sun, even in the shade it is still hot. So yeah, we feel the sun’s intensity more here and definitely the UV rays are more intense here. It filters out the sun just a little bit more. So along the coast, that thicker atmosphere does provide a little bit more protection of UV rays for sunburn and things like that. So, the atmosphere over us is actually thinner than say at sea level. Beaty/DenveriteĭM: Besides climate change and parking lots, does it also not help that Colorado is kind of closer to the sun than in other places? If it is closer to the sun? I’m new to Denver and I feel like I am a part of the sky sometimes. That’s why we have initiatives to plant trees, put green roofs on buildings, things like that to kind of tone that down a bit.Ī pretty full parking lot at the University of Denver. So, it’s just hotter in urban areas because of all the concrete, asphalt and hard surfaces that we humans create. In a more natural setting, like an area with vegetation, the heat’s reflected or taken up by the plants and used for energy. So, in an urban area where you’ve got a lot more concrete, a lot more hard surfaces that absorb the sun, it makes the ground hotter, which turns around and warms the air above it. GH: If you’re looking at a parking lot versus grass or natural vegetation, that parking lot will heat up more in the sun. Some of the increase could be due to the urban heat island effect, where you’ve got more pavement and paved surfaces, but overall we’re in a pretty arid and dry, almost high desert environment anyways, so it’s mostly due to climate change. The West is getting hotter and dryer and we’re seeing that in the records. How has the heat in Denver changed over the years? This interview has been edited for clarity.ĭM: So, tell me a little bit about Denver’s heat increase. Union Station offers a way to cool off on a very hot afternoon, June 16, 2021.
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