Heavy cloud cover moved in over the metro area this afternoon, preventing the area from tying a 16-year-old heat record by one degree.
The temperature at DIA reached 99 degrees by 3 p.m., just short of the 1991 record of 100 degrees.
It’s downhill from here as a relatively cold front is expected to move in from the north this evening, dropping temperatures into the 80s for Tuesday and Wednesday.
Xcel Energy said today’s heat put a heavy demand on its electric-generation system, but the utility said it had enough power available.
Xcel is expecting today’s statewide electric demand to be the highest yet this year. Xcel is projecting maximum consumption late this afternoon at 6,740 megawatts. The record high demand of 6,785 megawatts was reached on July 21, 2005.
“Today could be a big day (for electric consumption), but if the clouds start rolling in, then all bets are off,” said a spokesman.
If electric demand meets today’s projections, Xcel would still have about 7 percent more power available in its system than it plans to use.
Temperatures should climb back into the 90s the end of the week, causing foresters to warn of an increased possibility of forest fires.
