Temperatures soared into the upper 90s in Denver Wednesday afternoon, the high of 97 degrees was shy of the record of 102 degrees, set in 2005, but well above the average high of 91 degrees. Temperatures in Denver have now reached the 90s for 7 straight days.
There is a very slim chance of storms on the plains early tonight, but thunderstorms will be scattered across the foothills, mountains and western valleys. Flash Flood Watches and Warnings are in effect for many of the burn scars as locally heavy rain will likely create local flash flooding. The storms will diminish overnight and skies will clear a bit by Friday morning.
A cold front will slip across northern Colorado Friday afternoon. This will bring another round of thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall for the mountains and foothills and scattered thunderstorms for Denver and the I-25 Corridor. The eastern plains will stay hazy, hot and mostly dry.
Highs will be in the low to mid-90s for Denver and I-25 Corridor, as well as Grand Junction and Montrose. Eastern and southeastern Colorado will remain very hot with highs in the upper 90s to low 100s Friday afternoon. In the mountains, afternoon temperatures will be in the upper 70s to mid 80s, except cooler during thunderstorms.
The cold front will push across eastern Colorado and bring cooler, more humid air to Denver and the eastern plains for the weekend. The front will stall over the mountains, but more monsoon moisture will pour into the state from the southwest. Expect slightly lower temperatures, but a better chance for thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday.
Hotter weather will return to the state early next week. There will still be scattered thunderstorms each day for the higher terrain, but Denver and the I-25 Corridor will have lower rain chances and higher temperatures.
A note on the air quality - recent rains have helped to clear much of the wildfire smoke out of our skies, but only temporarily. Next week will turn smoky and hazy once again.
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