Denver Weather: It's Been Seven Years Since The Metro Area Was This Hot, This Early
DENVER (CBS4) - With the official start of summer still a week away, Denver and Colorado's Front Range will likely reach 100 degrees at least once or twice this week.
The last time Colorado's urban corridor was this hot so early in the season was in 2013 when Denver reached 100 degrees on June 11. If Denver exceeds 100 degrees this week, it will be hottest weather this early since 2006.
Although the entire week will be very warm, the two hottest days should be Tuesday and Wednesday with record high temperatures likely reaching at least 100 degrees both days. It's part of a heat wave that started Saturday after some brief cooler weather last Friday.
Denver's current record high temperature for Tuesday is only 97 degrees from June 15, 1993. That record is very likely to be broken along with the record for Wednesday, which is 96 degrees from June 16, 2020.
The hottest weather in the state will be in the valleys on the Western Slope. Grand Junction should reach at least 103 degrees on Monday and their all time of 106 degrees from 2005 could be threatened this week.
The hot June weather is part of a trend in recent decades. The three month summer season (June-August) in Denver now averages 2.6 degrees warmer compared to 50 years ago.
In addition to the heat, the vast majority of Colorado will stay dry through at least Tuesday. There is a small chance for late day thunderstorms similar to what happened in Aurora and southeast Denver on Sunday, but any storms late Monday should be farther east. If storms manage to develop, there could be some hail and/or damaging wind. But again, the chance for a repeat of Sunday anywhere in the metro area is extremely small.
Looking ahead to later this week, temperatures should drop a few degrees from 100 on Thursday but records are still possible. Then a summer "cold front" passes on Friday causing temperatures to drop into the 80s for the first time in a week. The front will also create a better chance for late day thunderstorms (30%) which will continue into Father's Day weekend.