Denver experienced its fifth warmest and fourth driest August on record in 2012, the National Weather Service said Saturday.
But the good news, according to Kyle Fredin, a meteorologist for the weather service, is that temperatures will return to seasonable in the coming days.
The normal high this time of year is around 84, Fredin said.
Although temperatures will hover around the upper 80s or low 90s Sunday and Labor Day, they are predicted to be in the 70s on Friday and Saturday.
As far as August is concerned, the National Weather Service said the hot summer of 2012 continued through the month as a strong, persistent subtropical high pressure ridge dominated the Rocky Mountain Region.
August got off to a hot start with 10 of the first 11 days above 90 degrees.
A cold front brought cooler temperatures to Denver on the 12th and 13th. And another cold front brought below average temperatures from the 16th to the 20th .
But hot temperatures returned to the Mile High City from Aug. 21 through the end of the month.
Aug. 9, Aug. 27, and Aug. 28 all tied the existing maximum high records with 98 degrees on the 9th; 98 degrees on the 27th and 96 degrees on the 28th.
On Aug. 29, the temperature of 97 broke the old record of 96 set in 1900.
Precipitation for the month was 0.11 inches which is 1.58 inches below the normal of 1.68 inches. All of the precipitation fell on Aug. 11.
The driest August on record occurred in 1924 when only 0.02 inches of rain fell.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or
