DENVER — The hottest day of the year so far saw Denver tie a 21-year-old heat record on Thursday.
The temperature reached 99 degrees at Denver International Airport, tying the previous record for the date set in 1998.
The temperature at the official recording station for the city just missed reaching 100 degrees, which would have been the 92nd time Denver would have reached triple digits since record keeping began in 1872 — and would have been the 58th time since 1989.
The last time Denver reached triple digits was June 28, 2018, when it hit 105 degrees at Denver International Airport, tying for the hottest recorded temperature in the city’s history.
The National Weather Service said it reached triple digits in Longmont (101 degrees), and Holyoke and Sterling (104 degrees for both).
On Wednesday, Denver set a record high minimum temperature of 72 degrees, breaking the previous record by 1 degree set in 1997, the National Weather Service said.
Denver was baking under lots of sunshine and breezy conditions throughout Thursday.
The heat will continue Friday as temperatures remain in the upper 90s and possible reaches the 100s. The record for Denver on Friday is 101 degrees, set in 2005.
Expect the sunny skies to continue with breezy conditions.
Red flag warnings were posted for the northern mountains and northern foothills because of the hot, dry and windy conditions.
Thursday was the eighth consecutive day that Denver hit 90 degrees or warmer, but a cold front will move in Saturday, cooling down temperatures with a chance of showers and thunderstorms.