As the mercury headed toward triple-digit territory Tuesday afternoon, Denverites ushered in the hottest part of the year by shedding layers of clothing and hoisting glasses of iced everything.
Iced tea. Iced coffee. Ice cream. Anything that could take the singe out of the day.
“I don’t wanna wear pants anymore, and I wear hats because my head is scorching,” said Laurie Sue Bissell, owner of LS Creations, who was selling hats and skirts from a tent in Civic Center on Tuesday afternoon. “You can see more people out today, even though it’s really hot. People are ready for summer.”
Less than a week after Denver came within 2 degrees of hitting a record-low high temperature, the city came within 2 degrees of breaking a record high.
The National Weather Service logged a high of 98 degrees at 3:10 p.m. at Denver International Airport. The record high for July 13 is 100 degrees, set in 2003. According to the National Weather Service, the average is 10 degrees cooler.
The rest of the week is forecast in the high 80s to mid-90s, with a slight chance of showers daily.
On the 16th Street Mall, people were on the hunt for ice-cold treats.
Jamba Juice was packed with almost no room in the store about 2:30 p.m., and employees said they had been “extremely busy” throughout the day.
There was a lot of gelato sold at Amore Gelato, so much that a store employee said his forearms were getting sore from scooping.
“Today was one of the busiest days in a while,” said Alex Bodsky. “We have been constantly busy, and there’s been a line out the door.”
During the midafternoon rush, there was a 4-to-1 ratio of cold drinks to hot drinks being passed over the counter at the Starbucks in Republic Plaza.
Store manager Walt Watkins said they made eight batches of iced coffee Tuesday afternoon. On a normal day, he said, they average about four batches. But their best-selling hot-weather drink is Frappucino.
“Frappucinos go through the roof,” Watkins said.
Store-front businesses — with air conditioning — say they see an increase in their “cooler” products when it’s hot outside, but the owner of Saray cart at 16th Street and Glenarm Place said her sales decrease when the temperature rises.
“Business is not very well when it’s 100 degrees — people stay inside,” said Liliana Mutic, whose cart sells hot lunch items as well as ice cream and cold drinks.
The perfect temp for hot-dog cart food? Mutic says her business does best when the weather is between 75 and 80 degrees.
Art Betancourt, store manager of the McDonalds on the corner of 16th Street and Cleveland Place, said his store moved double the number of ice cream cones served on a usual Tuesday.
“We bought another ice machine because one was not enough,” Betancourt said. “We were having to buy ice from somewhere else because we were running out.”
