The northern Front Range could be in for potential record-breaking heat Thursday.
The National Weather Service Office in Boulder issued a heat advisory through 7 p.m. for Metro Denver, Larimer, and Weld Counties. Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90s and triple digits.
NWS Boulder meteorologist Bernie Meier says the area is experiencing a strong upper-level high system that is causing warm and dry conditions. He said such temperatures are not uncommon for this time of the year.
“We usually see a hot streak a couple times each summer,” Meier said. “We're at the higher end of what we see for temperatures. The record highs for this time of year are around a hundred degrees.”
Meier said today’s temperatures could break the all-time record high for this date, which is 99 degrees, set in 1989. The forecasted high for today would equal that.
Denver’s first 100-degree day this summer was recorded on July 9. It reached 102 degrees on Aug. 4 last year. Denver’s heat record is 105, which has occurred five times since 1878 — four within the last 20 years, most recently on June 28, 2018.
The longest heat streak of 90-degree days for Denver is 24 days. That happened in 2008 and 2012. Denver saw a six-day streak last month.
Temperatures are expected to cool down slightly tomorrow. The forecast for Friday is partly sunny with a high near 96 degrees. There's a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon on Saturday. It’s expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 88 degrees.
Southern Colorado will be feeling the heat much longer. The National Weather Service in Pueblo has placed El Paso, Pueblo, and Eastern Fremont Counties under a heat advisory through 8 p.m. tonight. Another one will go into effect Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Record highs around the state
The highest temperature recorded for Aug. 7 in Colorado Springs is 97 degrees. That record could be broken, as the National Weather Service Office in Pueblo has forecast temperatures to reach 99 degrees today.
Grand Junction’s high temperature for this date was 102 degrees in 1969. The National Weather Service Office in Grand Junction expects temperatures to reach close to 100 degrees.
Pueblo reached 104 degrees on this date in 1995. It’s forecast to also be 100 degrees for today.
Colorado’s all-time hottest temperature is 115 degrees. That was recorded on July 20, 2019, at the John Martin Dam near Lamar. It’s expected to reach 106 degrees today.
