Denver’s heat wave spiked to a record 102 degree day Saturday, breaking the last record for July 17, set in 1971.
The last time Denver hit 100 degrees was Aug. 2, 2008. Saturday marked the 69th occurrence of 100 plus degrees for Denver since record keeping began in 1872.
The heat foiled the plans of Jody Wise, 45, and Don Roper, 52, who walked the river walk from Westminster to downtown hoping they’d get to see women in skimpy outfits.
The women stayed home, out of the heat, and late in the afternoon, Wise and Roper were catching a bus and headed that way too.
“It’s just too hot,” said Wise, his shirt completely unbuttoned. “It’s too hot for skin.”
At 3:46 p.m., the official temperature at Denver International Airport hit 102 degrees. It began to cool later in the afternoon and after 5 p.m. had dipped back down to 100 degrees.
Jorge Ramirez, 20, and his four friends who came from Mexico as tourists to see the Colorado sights, brushed off the heat. Late in the afternoon, they played whiffle ball at Civic Center with a plastic bat, running across the green grass.
“It gets hotter in Mexico,” said Ramirez, who said the five planned to head on to Vail later in the week.
In the Denver metro area, authorities issued an ozone action day alert Saturday afternoon for the Front Range from El Paso County north to Larimer and Weld counties, including the Denver and Boulder area and Colorado Springs.
The alert, issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council, was expected to remain in effect until Sunday at 4 p.m.
The alert recommends that those sensitive to ozone problems limit outdoor exertion across the Front Range and Denver metro area.
The National Weather Service Heat Safety tips remind people never to leave children unattended in a parked car, even with the windows down. In the first 10 minutes the temperature inside a parked car can go up nearly 20 degrees. The high temperatures inside parked cars can also be dangerous for pets and adults.
The National Weather Service expects highs in the mid-90s for next week.
For Justin Montoya and his crew of about six men who spent all day Saturday refurbishing pavers along the 16th Street Mall, the heat was just part of the job.
“Sure it’s getting pretty nasty, but the summer is hot, and we get used to it,” said Montoya, returning to his job supervising his men with the jackhammer.
