Roundup: U.S. Colorado sets 143-year-old high temperature record

The U.S. western state of Colorado set record high temperatures for two days straight as America's West is enjoying a week of unprecedented summer-like temperatures.

Denver's 81-degree Fahrenheit high (27.2 Celsius degrees) Monday was the earliest 80-degree-plus temperature since records began in 1872. Sunday's record high of 79 Fahrenheit degrees (26.1 Celsius degrees) was also recorded at Denver International Airport, officials said.

The unusually warm weather hitting western states is due to a ridge of high pressure "hanging over the West, that's keeping things warm," said meteorologist Frank Cooper from the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast office in Boulder, a city close to Denver.

On Tuesday, Denver residents woke up to slightly cooler temperatures for St. Patrick's Day, but more heat is expected by Wednesday through the end of the week.

"We love it, but Mother Nature is clearly confused," said Denver resident Miguel Mendoza. "The weather this year has been crazy and this is way too hot for March."

Last November saw Denver records scattered with some of the coldest weather ever, followed by an extremely dry January, and then record snowfall just three weeks ago.

"It's kind of a yo-yo thing going on," Cooper said, noting that the high pressure will break up by weekend and residents will feel a "20-degree drop ... closer to normal for us," he said.

Firefighters were on alert throughout the region, as the heat was creating dry, potentially flammable conditions.

With a fairly insignificant 2014 forest fire season compared to the tragic and costly 2012 and 2013 seasons, firefighters are bracing for a potentially bad year if temperatures stay warm.

The NWS issued Red Flag Warnings, or Fire Weather Watches on Monday for parts of the state of Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama. Endi