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Denver Weather: Is This July Or September? Record Heat Expected Thursday And Friday

DENVER (CBS4) - Temperatures usually trend downward in September following the hottest months of the year. Instead they will soar to record levels in many cities across Colorado on Thursday and Friday.

The existing record high temperature in Denver on Thursday is 94 degrees from September 9, 1994. The record should break no later than 3 p.m. Thursday.

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Friday should be at least a degree or two hotter than Thursday and the current record (93 degrees on September 10, 2018) is virtually guaranteed to be broken.

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Hot temperatures in September have become a trend in Colorado since 2000 and especially since 2010. In fact, 19 of the 30 calendar days in September have a record high temperature set since 2000 and 17 of those have been recorded since 2010.

It will also remain hazy and smoky along the Front Range and across a large swath of Colorado. About half of the state's 64 counties are under an Air Quality Alert for smoke in the mountains and a combination of smoke and summer ozone (pollution) for the Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs areas. Strenuous outdoor exercise is discouraged in all the areas with an alert.

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Looking specifically at the wildfire smoke, the thickest smoke on Thursday will be in the mountains in the morning and then shift east onto the Eastern Plains by late afternoon. Denver and the Front Range will experience moderate smoke similar to previous days.

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Looking ahead to Friday, with the exception of the far Eastern Plains, most of the smoke should experience a better air quality day but smoke and haze will still be visible.

A weak summer cold front will arrive Friday night and temperatures will drop 5-10 degrees for the weekend. A small chance for afternoon showers and non-severe thunderstorms will also return for Saturday and Sunday with the highest chance (20-40%) in the mountains.

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