Denver weather: Record-breaking cold hits city early Wednesday

Temperatures in Denver hit overnight lows near 7 degrees below zero, according to National Weather Service data. The previous record low for Feb. 19, set in 2006, was minus 4.

Denver weather: Record-breaking cold hits city early Wednesday

Dangerous, cold, below-zero temperatures hit Denver early Wednesday morning, breaking the record for the city’s coldest Feb. 19 in recorded history, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures in Denver hit overnight lows near 7 degrees below zero, according to NWS data. The previous record low for Feb. 19, set in 2006, was minus 4.

NWS meteorologists said windchill made overnight temperatures in the city feel even colder, bottoming out near minus 20 degrees.

Bitter cold will continue in the city Wednesday as temperatures peak at 22 degrees, with windchill temperatures as cold as minus 1, before dropping back into the single digits overnight, according to NWS forecasters.

Below-zero weather will persist through at least 8 a.m. Wednesday, when temperatures are forecast to crawl up to 1 degree. As of 7 a.m., it was still minus 6 degrees at NWS’s weather observation stations in Denver.

Temperatures fell below freezing in Denver at about 5 p.m. on Sunday and are expected to stay there until 11 a.m. Friday, forecasters said.

By the time temperatures are expected to rise back above freezing, the city will have seen nearly 115 hours of consecutive frigid weather.

Snow is forecast to return to metro Denver between 11 a.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday, forecasters said. Less than an inch of accumulation is expected, but the winter weather will keep temperatures low.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.