Weather

Hot weather is expected to roast Denver and the surrounding area on Monday, prompting city officials to open cooling centers.

Thornton, Arvada and Westminster are under severe thunderstorm warning and hail is possible.

The storm hovered over Evergreen for roughly two hours and dropped an estimated 6 inches of rain, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The greatest risk of severe weather will be in northeastern Colorado, along the Wyoming border, but severe storms will also be possible in the Denver area.

Colorado storms: Up to baseball-sized hail, damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph and tornadoes will be possible on Colorado’s Eastern Plains and I-25 corridor, including Denver, National Weather Service says.

Hundreds of flights failed to leave the gate on time at Denver International Airport on Sunday as afternoon thunderstorms hit Colorado’s Eastern Plains. 

Sunday afternoon storms are on track to bring up to 2-inch hail and 70 mph winds to Colorado’s Eastern Plains, forecasters said.

Denver temperatures are expected to climb into the 90s by 1 p.m. Wednesday and peak at 96 degrees near 5 p.m., according to the weather service.

Near-record temperatures are forecast for Denver midweek as temperatures crawl into the upper 90s, according to the National Weather Service. 

Denver will be cool and cloudy on Sunday, but don’t expect such conditions to last for long: The summer heat will return later this week.