Denver Weather: Scorching late summer heat set to break more records

Our 10 day streak of sizzling late summer days continues in Denver and across Colorado through Thursday. There is a Heat Advisory for the Front Range on Wednesday and another advisory is expected Thursday which could bring truly unprecedented heat to the metro area.

Tuesday was a record-breaking day for two reasons. First, we hit a high of 98 degrees which broke the daily record high of 97 degrees from 2020. We also hit day 62 of 90-degree or above days in Denver for a season. This put us in third place all time, surpassing the 61 days from 2000.

Grand Junction also broke the all-time September high temperature for the city with a high of 101 degrees (the old record of 100 degrees).

Denver is virtually guaranteed to break two more daily record highs on Wednesday and Thursday before tumbling 25-30 degrees on Friday into the lower 70s.

The existing record for Wednesday is 95 degrees from September 7, 2013 which should be easily broken before 4 p.m.

Thursday is expected to be even hotter and there is a chance Denver officially reaches 100 degrees. That would not only break the daily record high of 94 degrees from September 8, 1959, it would also set a new record for the latest 100 degree temperature ever recorded in Denver. The current record for "latest 100" is September 5, 2020 which was the Saturday of Labor Day weekend that year before it snowed in the city just a few days later.

If you work outside or have to be outside for long periods of time, take frequent breaks in the shade and stay very hydrated. Do not leave pets or children unattended in cars.

And not only will it be very hot again on Wednesday and Thursday, out-of-state wildfire smoke will create hazy skies in Colorado. The thickest smoke will be in the northwest quadrant of the state where it will be very visible and likely bad enough to be smelled. The smoke will be thinner in Denver and along the Front Range.

The first of two cold fronts inbound for Colorado arrives Thursday night followed by the second late Friday. The result will be high temperatures only in the 50s and 60s on Saturday under mostly cloudy skies with occasional drizzle and light rain. What a difference!