Three straight days of 100-degree, near-record heat is set to roast the Denver area this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

For Denver, NWS forecasters expect toasty temperature highs of 101 degrees on Friday, 100 degrees on Saturday and 101 degrees on Sunday.

“Overall, it has been fairly rare to have two consecutive days of 100 degrees or more,” NWS forecasters said. “In fact, there have only been 15 occurrences since 1872.”

Only six of those cases were three-day periods or longer, forecasters said.

Three years — July of 1989, July of 2005 and June of 2012 — are tied for the longest streak of 100-degree weather in Denver at five consecutive days each, according to NWS records. June of 1990 saw a four-day streak of 100-degree weather, and both July of 2012 and June of 2021 saw a three-day heat period.

This weekend’s three-day heatwave will tie for fifth on that list, forecasters said.

NWS forecasters said even standalone 100-degree days aren’t common in Denver.

Only 106 days with 100-degree temperatures have been recorded in Denver over the last 152 years, according to NWS records. That’s less than one day a year.

If Friday hits a high of exactly 101 degrees, it will tie the record for the hottest July 12 of all time, according to NWS records. The 101-degree record was set in 1971.

Denver will also experience near-record heat on Saturday. If the city sees a high of exactly 100 degrees, it will tie the 2003 record for the hottest July 13 of all time.

Sunday has the potential to set a new record, forecasters said.

If Denver sees the expected 101-degree temperature high, Sunday will break the record for the city’s hottest July 14 ever recorded. The current record high, set in 1878, is 100 degrees.

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Originally Published: July 9, 2024 at 9:58 a.m.