Near-record heat will arrive Thursday in Colorado and triple-digit temperatures will roast the state through Sunday, just in time for the official start of summer, according to the National Weather Service.
Heatwave starts Thursday, hottest temperatures in southeastern Colorado
Parts of Colorado’s Eastern Plains will see 100-degree weather starting Thursday afternoon, weather service forecasters said.
Temperatures in La Junta and Lamar in southeastern Colorado are forecast to hit 102 degrees Thursday afternoon, and Eads is expected to see 100-degree temperatures, according to the .
Denver’s weather on Thursday is forecast to fall just two degrees short of the record and four degrees short of triple digits.
Temperatures will peak at 96 degrees in the city, . The current record of 98 degrees was set in 1989, according to the .
Other places forecast to see near-record heat Thursday include:
- Boulder, where temperatures are forecast to hit 95 degrees. The current record of 97 degrees was set in 2016.
- Fort Collins, where temperatures are forecast to hit 95 degrees. The current record of 97 degrees was set in 1989.
- Longmont, where temperatures are forecast to hit 96 degrees. The current record of 99 degrees was set in 2002.
- Estes Park, where temperatures are forecast to hit 85 degrees. The current record of 89 degrees was set in 1925.
- Breckenridge, where temperatures are forecast to hit 81 degrees. The current record of 83 degrees was set in 1893.
- Kremmling, where temperatures are forecast to hit 87 degrees. The current record of 87 degrees was set in 2016.
Temperatures forecast for 100 degrees in Denver area on Friday, Saturday
Triple-digit temperatures will spread across Colorado on both Friday and Saturday, according to weather service forecasters.
The worst of the heat will span 11 a.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday, forecasters said in a .
That advisory covers Larimer, Boulder, Jefferson, Broomfield, Douglas, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Weld, Morgan, Lincoln, Logan, Washington, Sedgwick and Phillips counties.
If Denver hits 100 degrees Friday, , the city will break its current June 20 record of 99 degrees, which was set in 2017, according to .
Temperatures are expected to fall just short of triple digits in Denver on Saturday, but the city is still forecast to tie its June 21 heat record of 99 degrees, the weather service said. If temperatures tip over the edge and hit 100 degrees, Denver will break its heat record two days in a row.
Triple-digit heat is relatively rare in Denver, and two-day streaks are even rarer, .
Denver has seen only 111 days with 100-degree weather since 1872. That’s 1.3 days each year on average.
Other cities forecast to see 100-degree weather on Friday and Saturday include Fort Morgan, Burlington, Greeley, Julesburg, Longmont, Sterling, Eads, La Junta, Lamar, Pueblo and Springfield.
The hottest weather on the forecast is a 106-degree high in Lamar on Friday, .
“Heat is the leading weather-related killer in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year,” weather service forecasters said in a . “Ensure that loved ones, neighbors, pets and livestock are safe from the heat.”
Cooldown scheduled for Sunday, Monday
Temperatures will cool down slightly across Colorado on Sunday, largely dropping back into the 90s, before relief arrives Monday morning, forecasters said.
In southeastern Colorado on Sunday, some cities could see a fourth straight day of 100-degree weather, including La Junta and Lamar, according to the weather service.
Rain showers and thunderstorms expected to arrive Monday will bring temperatures back down to the 70s across the Denver area and Eastern Plains, forecasters said.
