Denver experiences warmest spring in 13 years, weather service says

Denverites enjoyed one of the warmest springs the metro area has logged in more than a decade, largely because of warm temperatures and minimal snow in March, according to the National Weather Service.

The average daily temperature from March through May was the warmest in 13 years, at 51 degrees, meteorologist Bernie Meyer said. March was 4.2 degrees above normal, April was 1.7 degrees above normal and May was just three-tenths of a degree above normal.

March’s abnormally warm weather and lack of precipitation was largely the cause for the spring spike, Meyer said.

This was the 12th-warmest March on record, with an average daily temperature of 45.8 degrees, and also the eighth-least-snowy March, with just 2 inches of snow recorded, according to the weather service.

Coloradans can look forward to more above-average temperatures this summer with a 50-60% chance of warmer-than-normal weather, Meyer said.

— Katie Langford, The Denver Post

Johnston taps former planning director to return to that job temporarily

Brad Buchanan, who once served as head planner in Denver and now is the CEO of the National Western Center Authority, will be the city’s interim planning director while Mayor Mike Johnston searches for a permanent appointee.

Johnston’s announcement came after current planning director Manish Kumar announced he would resign from the role this week.

Buchanan served as executive director of the Department of Community Planning and Development under former Mayor Michael Hancock. He was appointed in 2014 and left the post in 2018 to lead the National Western authority.

Buchanan will continue to act as the CEO of the National Western authority, which is overseeing a campus that’s undergoing a major expansion, while he leads the planning department.

Kumar stepped down from the role after only 13 months in the position. City officials plan to conduct a search for his permanent replacement.

— Elliott Wenzler, The Denver Post