Looking back into the Denver weather history books for this week, November 16th to the 22nd, we see a lot of the normal things we would expect to – lots of wind and snow.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
645 PM MST SAT NOV 15 2008
..THIS WEEK IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY…
14-18 IN 1964…THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON
TOTALED 6.0 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 32 MPH ON THE 14TH.
MOST OF THE SNOW…4.2 INCHES…FELL ON THE 14TH. THIS
WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE MONTH.
15-16 IN 1894…WINDS BEHIND AN APPARENT STRONG COLD FRONT WERE
SUSTAINED TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 75 MPH ON THE 15TH.
SNOWFALL TOTALED 2.6 INCHES IN THE CITY. TEMPERATURES
PLUNGED FROM A HIGH OF 72 DEGREES ON THE 15TH TO A LOW
OF ONLY 5 DEGREES ON THE 16TH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE
ON THE 16TH WAS 24 DEGREES…WHICH OCCURRED SHORTLY
AFTER MIDNIGHT.
IN 1996…AROUND A FOOT OF NEW SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS
WEST OF DENVER WITH 3 TO 6 INCHES AT LOWER ELEVATIONS
ACROSS METRO DENVER. SOME OF THE SNOWFALL TOTALS
INCLUDED: 15 INCHES AT GEORGETOWN…12 INCHES AT IDAHO
SPRINGS…10 INCHES AT CHIEF HOSA…AND 9 INCHES IN COAL
CREEK CANYON. SNOWFALL TOTALED 2.9 INCHES AT THE SITE
OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTHEAST
WINDS GUSTED TO 23 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON
THE 16TH.
15-17 IN 1991…A STRONG WINTER STORM DUMPED HEAVY SNOW OVER METRO
DENVER. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TOTALED 15 INCHES AT CASTLE ROCK
AND CONIFER…14 INCHES AT MORRISON AND PARKER…12 INCHES IN
SOUTHEAST AURORA…AND 11.6 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. WINDS WERE LIGHT WITH THE STORM.
16 IN 1899…A TRACE OF RAIN FELL IN THE CITY. THIS…TOGETHER
WITH A TRACE OF PRECIPITATION ON THE 21ST AND 23RD…WAS THE
ONLY PRECIPITATION OF THE MONTH…MAKING THE MONTH THE DRIEST
ON RECORD. THE RECORD WAS EQUALED IN NOVEMBER OF 1901 AND
1949.
IN 1926…RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW BEHIND A COLD FRONT AND TOTALED
2.0 INCHES. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 48 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 54 MPH.
IN 1930…STRONG WINDS OCCURRED IN BOULDER CAUSING MINOR
DAMAGE. AT VALMONT JUST EAST OF BOULDER…WINDS GUSTED TO
52 MPH. WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 37 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
46 MPH IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1948…A WEST-NORTHWEST WIND GUST TO 50 MPH WAS RECORDED AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT.
16-18 IN 1921…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.5 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN
DENVER. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE MONTH.
EAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 14 MPH ON THE 17TH.
17 IN 1948…A DRY VIGOROUS COLD FRONT ACCOMPANIED BY NORTH WINDS
GUSTING TO 60 MPH PRODUCED EXTENSIVE BLOWING DUST…WHICH
BRIEFLY REDUCED THE VISIBILITY TO 1/2 MILE AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT.
IN 1993…A WIND GUST TO 70 MPH WAS RECORDED ATOP SQUAW
MOUNTAIN NEAR IDAHO SPRINGS.
IN 1994…WINDS GUSTED TO 66 MPH IN BOULDER AND TO 63 MPH ON
ROCKY FLATS SOUTH OF BOULDER. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 49 MPH
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2000…SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER…MAINLY
SOUTH OF THE I-70 CORRIDOR. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED:
8.5 INCHES…7 MILES SOUTH OF TINY TOWN; 6 INCHES AT
GENESEE; AND 5 INCHES…11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORRISON.
ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED AT THE SITE OF THE
FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
17-18 IN 1869…THE HEAVIEST WIND STORM IN 5 OR 6 YEARS RAKED THE
EASTERN FOOTHILLS INCLUDING BOULDER…DENVER…GEORGETOWN…
AND GOLDEN. SOME HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE OCCURRED
IN BOULDER.
18 IN 1872…FRESH WEST WINDS CONTRIBUTED TO THE RELATIVE
HUMIDITY DIPPING TO ZERO AT 2:43 PM. THE MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE WAS 54 DEGREES.
IN 1907…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.0 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN
DENVER. SNOW FELL ALL DAY. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED
TO 19 MPH.
IN 1915…NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 48 MPH. IT WAS WINDY MOST OF THE DAY.
IN 1996…HIGH WINDS STRUCK THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER.
WIND GUSTS RANGED FROM 70 TO 75 MPH. A FEW POWER LINES
WERE DOWNED…BUT NO MAJOR OUTAGES WERE REPORTED.
IN 1998…STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS DEVELOPED DURING THE
MORNING. WIND GUSTS REACHED A PEAK OF 72 MPH AT
JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT NEAR BROOMFIELD. WEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 41 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1999…HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS. THE STRONG WINDS DOWNED POWER LINES…WHICH
SPARKED SEVERAL SMALL BRUSH FIRES. IN BROOMFIELD…
SCAFFOLDING WAS DAMAGED AT THE WADSWORTH RECREATION
CENTER…WHILE FLYING ROCKS BROKE SEVERAL WINDOWS AT A
LOCAL BANK BUILDING. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 91 MPH
ATOP BLUE MOUNTAIN NEAR WONDERVU…88 MPH ATOP THE GAMOW
TOWER ON THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CAMPUS IN BOULDER…
83 MPH AT JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT…81 MPH AT THE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH MESA LAB ABOVE
BOULDER…AND 80 MPH AT WONDERVU. WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 48 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
18-19 IN 1975…SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 5.5 INCHES AND NORTH WINDS
GUSTED TO 35 MPH CAUSING SOME BLOWING SNOW AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…WHILE A MAJOR BLIZZARD STRUCK
SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO.
IN 1985…4 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER.
SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.4 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 23 MPH.
IN 1991…ANOTHER STRONG WINTER STORM PRODUCED HEAVY SNOW
OVER METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.5 INCHES AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WITH 9 INCHES AT PARKER…
AND 8 INCHES IN SOUTHEAST DENVER…MORRISON…AND WHEAT
RIDGE. THIS SECOND STORM BROUGHT THE 5 DAY (15TH-19TH)
SNOWFALL TOTAL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO
21.1 INCHES. THE GREATEST DEPTH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND
WAS 13 INCHES ON THE MORNING OF THE 19TH. THE ADVERSE
EFFECTS OF THE TWO STORMS WERE DIMINISHED BY THE LACK
OF SIGNIFICANT WINDS.
18-20 IN 1930…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED A TOTAL OF 13.6 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…9.4
INCHES…FELL ON THE 19TH WHEN NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED
TO 23 MPH. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE
MONTH. TEMPERATURES HOVERED IN THE 20’S AND LOWER 30’S.
IN 1956…AN INTENSE WINTER STORM DUMPED 12.8 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL ON METRO DENVER. STRONG NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS
GUSTING TO 33 MPH AT STAPLETON AIRPORT FREQUENTLY REDUCED
THE VISIBILITY TO 1/2 MILE IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ON THE
19TH. MOST OF THE SNOWFALL…10.7 INCHES…OCCURRED ON THE
19TH.
19 IN 1931…THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE SEASON TOTALED
ONLY 1.0 INCH IN THE CITY.
IN 1977…NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS CAUSED SOME TRAFFIC
ACCIDENT INJURIES ACROSS METRO DENVER. ONLY 1.3 INCHES
OF SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 28 MPH.
19-21 IN 1979…A HEAVY SNOWSTORM BURIED MOST OF COLORADO UNDER AT
LEAST A FOOT OF SNOW. SNOWFALL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT TOTALED 17.7 INCHES…THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH SINCE
1946. WINDS TO 60 MPH PRODUCED 5-FOOT DRIFTS PARALYZING
THE CITY AS TEMPERATURES HOVERED IN THE 20’S. WHILE SMALL
AIRPORTS CLOSED…STAPLETON REMAINED OPEN…BUT WITH LONG
DELAYS THAT SNARLED THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRAFFIC. SCHOOLS
AND BUSINESSES CLOSED AND POSTAL DELIVERIES WERE DELAYED.
ALMOST ALL MAJOR HIGHWAYS LEADING OUT OF DENVER WERE CLOSED
TO TRAFFIC FOR PERIODS OF TIME ON THE 20TH AND 21ST. MOST
OF THE SNOW…13.5 INCHES…FELL ON THE 20TH. AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 35 MPH ON THE
20TH AND TO 38 MPH ON THE 21ST.
20 IN 1871…THE FIRST OFFICIAL WEATHER OBSERVATION IN DENVER…
WAS TAKEN BY HENRY FENTON…OBSERVER SERGEANT OF THE UNITED
STATES ARMY SIGNAL SERVICE AT 5:43 AM. THE OFFICE WAS
LOCATED ON THE 2ND FLOOR OF A BUILDING AT THE CORNER OF
LARIMER AND G STREETS…NOW 16TH STREET. THE DAILY WEATHER
JOURNAL HAND WRITTEN ENTRY FOR THE DAY FOLLOWS: “SNOW
FELL HEAVILY DURING PAST NIGHT. AT 5:43 AM IT WAS SNOWING
LIGHT AND CONTINUED UNTIL 8 AM. WIND DURING SNOW STORM
GENTLE AND A LITTLE WEST OF SOUTH…AND CONTINUED THERE
DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. SKY CLEAR AFTER 8 AM.
VERY COLD WEATHER PREVAILED ALL DAY AND NIGHT. THERMOMETER
AT 9:43 PM 14 DEGREES. RAIN GAUGE AND SELF-REGISTERING
THERMOMETER NOT IN POSITION OWING TO SEVERE STORM LAST
WEEK. BAROMETER FALLING DURING THE MORNING AND RISING
RAPIDLY AT NIGHT.”
IN 1894…NORTHWEST CHINOOK WINDS SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO 45 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 58
DEGREES IN THE CITY.
IN 1909…STEADY AND VERY STRONG WINDS IN BOULDER CAUSED
3 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.
IN 1915…POST-FRONTAL NORTHEAST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH
WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 42 MPH PRODUCED ONLY A TRACE OF
SNOW. IT WAS WINDY MOST OF THE DAY.
IN 1923…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 44 MPH BEFORE DAYBREAK. THE STRONG WINDS PERSISTED
IN THE CITY FOR ONLY ABOUT 3 HOURS.
IN 1993…A WIND GUST TO 72 MPH WAS RECORDED AT TABLE MESA IN
SOUTHWEST BOULDER.
IN 1994…WINDS GUSTED TO 77 MPH ATOP SQUAW MOUNTAIN WEST
OF DENVER. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 40 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
20-21 IN 1898…SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.0 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 48 MPH WITH GUSTS AS
HIGH AS 60 MPH BEHIND AN APPARENT COLD FRONT ON THE 20TH…
WHEN TEMPERATURES PLUNGED FROM A HIGH OF 66 DEGREES TO A
LOW OF 9 DEGREES. ON THE 21ST THE HIGH WAS ONLY 24 DEGREES
AND THE LOW WAS 2 DEGREES.
IN 1970…A WIND GUST TO 94 MPH WAS RECORDED AT GOLD HILL IN
THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF BOULDER. STRONG WINDS ALSO SWEPT
ACROSS METRO DENVER. WIND GUSTS REACHED 59 MPH IN DOWNTOWN
BOULDER…WHILE AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WEST-
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 43 MPH ON THE 21ST. DAMAGE WAS
MINOR.
IN 1992…A LARGE CANADIAN AIR MASS MOVED INTO THE STATE AT
THE SAME TIME AN UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM APPROACHED FROM
THE WEST. THE COMBINATION OF COLD AIR AT THE SURFACE AND
VERY MOIST AIR ALOFT PRODUCED HEAVY SNOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE
STATE. SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.3 INCHES AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 23 MPH
ON THE 20TH. SNOW WAS HEAVIER IN THE FOOTHILLS…WITH 14
INCHES AT WONDERVU…13 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS…CONIFER…
BOULDER…AND GROSS RESERVOIR…8 INCHES AT ROLLINSVILLE…
AND 10 INCHES AT GOLDEN GATE CANYON AND MORRISON.
21 IN 1891…NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 60 MPH.
IN 1899…A TRACE OF SNOW FELL IN THE CITY. THIS…TOGETHER
WITH A TRACE OF PRECIPITATION ON THE 16TH AND 23RD…WAS THE
ONLY PRECIPITATION OF THE MONTH…MAKING THE MONTH THE DRIEST
ON RECORD. THE RECORD WAS EQUALED IN NOVEMBER OF 1901 AND
1949. THIS TRACE OF SNOW ALONG WITH A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE
23RD WAS THE ONLY SNOW OF THE MONTH…RANKING THE MONTH THE
2ND LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD. THIS RECORD WAS EQUALED IN
NOVEMBER OF 1884…1901…1905…1917…AND 1939.
IN 1900…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 46 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
54 MPH. THE CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A
HIGH OF 64 DEGREES.
IN 1934…THE LATEST DATE FOR THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE
SEASON OCCURRED. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON…
BECAUSE TRACES OF SNOW HAD FALLEN EARLIER IN SEPTEMBER.
SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 1.0 INCH OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1962…STRONG WEST-NORTHWEST CHINOOK WINDS GUSTED TO
53 MPH AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1998…AN INTENSE MOUNTAIN WAVE ALLOWED FOR HIGH WINDS
TO DEVELOP IN THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER COUNTY. WIND
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 77 MPH WERE MEASURED 3 MILES EAST-
NORTHEAST OF NEDERLAND.
21-22 IN 1905…A TRACE OF SNOW FELL ON BOTH DAYS IN DOWNTOWN
DENVER. THIS WAS THE ONLY SNOW OF THE MONTH…RANKING
THE MONTH ALONG WITH OTHER NOVEMBERS…THE 2ND LEAST
SNOWIEST ON RECORD.
IN 1999…THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON STRUCK
METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED: 16 INCHES NEAR
BAILEY; 13 INCHES NEAR EVERGREEN; 12 INCHES AT NORTH TURKEY
CREEK…GENESEE…NEAR MORRISON…AND NEAR SEDALIA; 11 INCHES
NEAR CONIFER AND IN EVERGREEN; 10 INCHES IN LOUISVILLE;
9 INCHES IN BRIGHTON…BROOMFIELD…AND DENVER; AND 8 INCHES
AT ARVADA…CASTLE ROCK…AND ELDORADO SPRINGS. SNOWFALL
TOTALED 8.4 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2003…HEAVY SNOW FELL IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER
COUNTY. SNOWFALL TOTALED 10.5 INCHES IN ELDORADO SPRINGS.
ACROSS THE CITY…SNOWFALL WAS LIGHTER WITH 2.8 INCHES
MEASURED AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT ON THE 22ND. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 32 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 22ND.
21-23 IN 1918…POST-FRONTAL SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.9 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN
DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…5.3 INCHES…FELL ON THE 22ND.
NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 20 MPH ON THE 21ST.
IN 1931…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED A TOTAL OF 13.2 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…11.4
INCHES…FELL ON THE 21ST. A VERY COLD AIR MASS SETTLED
OVER THE CITY AFTER THE HEAVY SNOW ON THE 21ST. AFTER A
LOW TEMPERATURE OF ZERO…THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO A HIGH
OF ONLY 5 DEGREES ON THE 22ND…A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE
DATE.
21-25 IN 1952…SNOWFALL OF 6.2 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 17 MPH ON THE
21ST.
22 IN 1977…101 MPH WINDS WERE MEASURED IN SOUTHWEST BOULDER.
THE SIDE OF A GARAGE WAS BLOWN DOWN. WEST WINDS GUSTED
TO ONLY 33 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1981…HIGH WINDS OCCURRED IN THE FOOTHILLS. A PEAK GUST
TO 75 MPH WAS REPORTED AT WONDERVU. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO
23 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1988…A WIND GUST TO 88 MPH WAS MEASURED AT ROLLINSVILLE.
IN 1990…STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS…ON THE COAT TAILS
OF A MOUNTAIN SNOW STORM THE DAY BEFORE…LASHED OUT AT
PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS WITH 60 TO 95 MPH WIND
GUSTS. THE STRONG WINDS SPREAD OVER ALL OF METRO DENVER.
A WEST WIND GUST TO 49 MPH WAS RECORDED AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
22-23 IN 1953…STRONG WINDS RAKED BOULDER CAUSING 18 THOUSAND
DOLLARS IN DAMAGE. WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH WERE RECORDED AT
VALMONT AND ESTIMATED TO 80 MPH AT THE BOULDER AIRPORT.