Denver baked under a new record high of 102 degrees Saturday, but Felix Aholou still worked outside through the hottest part of the day.
Despite the record-breaking heat, the 40-year-old Aholou said he prefers fresh air to air conditioning.
“I’ve got four of these,” he said, waving a plastic bottle of melting ice that he sipped throughout the day. He periodically filled it with orange juice.
Aholou, who tends outdoor stands that sell jewelry and purses on the 16th Street Mall, said it never felt so hot in his coastal home in Togo, West Africa.
Saturday marked the 12th straight day of temperatures of 90 degrees or higher this year.
The last time Denver reached 100-degree territory was in July 2003, according to the National Weather Service, which recorded Saturday’s 102-degree high at Denver International Airport. The old record for July 16, 101 degrees, was set that year.
Saturday marked the 51st time that Denver has experienced such a high temperature in the 134 years weather has been tracked here, according to the Weather Service.
The Weather Service expects temperatures to drop into the 80s today and Monday.
Heat waves occurred in each of the four years from 2000 to 2003, lasting between 11 and 17 contiguous days.
Last year’s cooler summer brought a total of 20 days with highs of 90 degrees or above. As of Saturday, there already have been 23 such days in Denver this year. The average is 28, according to the Weather Service.
Staff writer Michelle Wallar can be reached at 303-820-1201 or mwallar@denverpost.com.
