Denver tied the mark for the hottest Aug. 18 ever this afternoon when the temperature hit 98 degrees at 2:48 p.m., matching the mark set in 1986, according to the National Weather Service.
The average for the date is 87 degrees.
The mercury ended up two degrees short of being the latest 100-degree reading in a year since 2002.
Although temperatures in the 90s have been common, Denver hasn’t hit 100 this year. The highest temperature was 99 degrees on July 31, records show.
The forecast high for the official regional monitoring site at Denver International Airport was 99 degrees.
Forecasters expected temperatures in the high 90s for most of Colorado.
The high pressure ridge that is trapping the heat in Colorado will start to weaken, allowing cooler fronts to move in, said Mike Baker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Over the next few days, temperatures will decrease as rain chances increase, forecasters said this afternoon.
The city is expected to cool to 90 degrees Friday with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. and 30 percent in the evening, according to the National Weather Service.
The metro area has a 30 percent chance rain Saturday, with temperatures in upper 80s and a 20 percent Sunday with a high near 90.
Highs in the upper 70s are forecast for the mountains this weekend.
Caitlin Gibbons: 303-954-1638 or 303-954-1638
