DENVER — Hot and dry weather will hold over Colorado today, with highs in the mid to upper 90s in Denver and near 100 degrees in southeastern Colorado.
Gusty southwest winds and low humidity will increase fire danger, especially over western Colorado. A Fire Weather Warning will be in effect for the western half of the state through tonight.
Highs in Denver on Thursday will soar well above the average of 81 degrees and just shy of the record of 99 degrees, which was set on June 10 in 2013.
In the mountains, highs will be in the mid 70s to mid 80s with nighttime lows in the upper 30s to mid 40s.
The winds will kick up today ahead of a weak cold front. That front will move through the state on Friday, with Denver seeing a 10- to 15-degree drop in afternoon highs. This front will be a dry one, so mostly sunny skies to end the week and temperatures that are quite a bit more comfortable.
Warmer weather will quickly return over the weekend into early next week, with only a slight chance for thunderstorms Sunday and Monday.
It is a good thing our spring has been so wet over the eastern half of the state — drought conditions have pretty much ended for now. Western Colorado has not been as lucky and remains very dry.
At the Denver International Airport, the total precipitation since Jan. 1 is about 10.5 inches — and that's a little over 4 inches above normal for the year to date.
The latest index shows drought-free conditions from Denver to Cheyenne and across northeast Colorado. Southeastern Colorado has also improved with nearly drought-free conditions around Pueblo. Western and central Colorado still need a lot of moisture to break free of the drought.
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