Communities in metro Denver, including the city of Denver and Jefferson County, will soon activate their cold weather shelter networks as nighttime temperatures are expected to drop to 20 degrees or below starting Saturday night and remain in that range through Monday night.
Denver announced Friday that the city will provide extra shelter to those who need it, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. Jefferson County also said it would open its shelter network through Tuesday morning.
The brisk incoming weather, which could also bring some snow to the metro area, comes after an unusually balmy streak of late December days during which temperatures regularly topped the 70-degree mark. Denver set a Christmas Day record on Thursday with a high of 70 degrees at Denver International Airport.
Denver cited the National Weather Service’s forecast for overnight temperatures of less than 25 degrees, along with the potential of a couple of inches of snow, for its decision to activate the shelter network. The National Weather Service forecasts a low Saturday night of 20 degrees, a low Sunday night of 14 degrees and a low Monday night of 21 degrees.
The shelter for men is the Denver Rescue Mission Lawrence Street Community Center at 2222 Lawrence St. For women, the shelter is the Samaritan House at 2301 Lawrence St. For youth up to 24 years old, the shelter is Urban Peak at 1630 S. Acoma St.
Families can seek shelter at the Inn at the Highland at 2601 Zuni St. There are also 24/7 shelters at 2601 W. 7th Ave., 375 S. Zuni St. and 4411 Peoria St. For additional support or questions, the Connection Center can be reached at 303-295-3366 and more information can be found online at denvergov.org/findshelter.
All Denver shelter sites are pet-friendly and provide food, showers and blankets. Transportation will run daily from downtown shelters to cold weather shelter sites. Security will be present at each site. Shelters will deactivate once weather improves.
In Jefferson County, the network is stood up when temperatures are 32 degrees or lower and more than one inch of snow is expected to fall within a 24-hour period, or when temperatures are 20 degrees or lower, with or without precipitation.
For a full list of Jefferson County shelters, visit the county’s website.
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