This week is an extremely eventful one in Denver weather history with a wide variety of conditions having been experienced in the past.  Wind and snow are probably the two most dominant items, none more so than the blizzard that struck 12 years ago on the 24th.  That storm ravaged the city, closed the airport and highways and was responsible for four deaths.

From the National Weather Service:

From the 17th to the 19th:

In 1908…a moist…heavy…wet snowfall totaled 13.0 inches in downtown Denver over the 3 days.  Rain from early morning on the 17th changed to snow by late afternoon and continued through the late morning of the 19th.  Due to temperatures in the 30’s and melting…the most snow on the ground was only 5.0 inches at 6:00 pm on the 18th.  Northwest to northeast winds were sustained between 12 and 20 mph during the storm.  Precipitation totaled 1.82 inches.

On the 18th:

In 1875…the haze was so dense that the mountains were not visible from downtown Denver for most of the day.
 
In 1937…a vigorous cold front produced north winds sustained to 32 mph with gusts to 41 mph.  Rain and snow totaled 0.16 inch.  Post-frontal snowfall of 0.8 inch was the only snowfall of the month.
 
In 1960…post-frontal upslope rain changed to snow. Snowfall was 2.2 inches at Stapleton Airport where precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 1.58 inches.
 
In 1971…wind gusts to 48 mph were recorded in downtown Boulder.  West winds gusted to 30 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1999…heavy snow developed in the foothills west of metro Denver with lesser amounts across the city.  Snowfall totals included:  7 inches near Nederland…6 inches in Boulder…and 5 inches at Chief Hosa.  Only 1.2 inches of snow were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

From the 18th to the 23rd:

In 2003…an extended warm spell resulted in 5 new temperature records.  The high temperature of 84 degrees on the 18th equaled the record high for the date.  High temperatures of 86 degrees on the 19th…83 degrees on the 21st…and 84 degrees on the 22nd were record highs for the dates.  Low temperature of 49 degrees on the 23rd was a record high minimum for the date.  Low temperatures during the period were in the 40’s and lower 50’s.

On the 19th:

In 1887…northwest winds sustained to 42 mph were recorded in the city.
 
In 1982…3 to 6 inches of snow fell over northwest metro Denver…including Boulder.  Only 1.2 inches of snowfall were recorded at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 35 mph.  This was the first measurable snowfall of the season.

Continue reading October 18 to October 24 – This week in Denver weather history →

A very eventful week of weather in Denver weather history.  Many notable items have occurred and many also incorporate one of two conditions – wind or snow.  Probably the most famous event was the Bronco Blizzard on October 15, 1984.  That storm which hit its height during a Monday Night Football game between the Broncos and the Packers is probably one of the most memorable ever for longtime Denver residents.

10-11

In 1986…the first significant snowstorm of the season produced 2 to 5 inches of snow over metro Denver with 5 to 10 inches in the foothills west of Denver.  Wondervu recorded the most snow from the storm…13 inches.  The heavy wet snow caused numerous power outages.  The storm was accompanied by strong north winds with gusts to 41 mph recorded on the 10th.  The first snowfall of the season totaled 3.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport with only one inch on the ground due to melting.  The strong cold front accompanying the storm cooled the temperature from a high of 73 degrees on the 10th to a high of only 33 degrees on the 11th…which was a record low maximum for the date.

10-12

In 1969…the second heavy snowstorm in less than a week dumped nearly a foot of snow across metro Denver and plunged the area into extremely cold temperatures for so early in the season.  Snowfall totaled 11.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport.  North winds gusting to 26 mph produced drifts up to 2 feet deep.  Temperatures dipped from a high of 52 degrees on the 10th to a record low for the date of 10 degrees on the 12th.  There was additional damage to trees and power and telephone lines from heavy snow accumulations and icing.  Travel was restricted or blocked by drifting snow in both the mountains and on the plains east of Denver.

11

In 1997…damaging winds ahead of an approaching storm system developed in the foothills and spread across metro Denver. Winds gusted to 88 mph at Conifer…71 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in Boulder… And 53 mph at Denver International Airport.  Several trees and street signs were blown down with scattered power outages reported throughout metro Denver.  In Arvada…a car window was blown out by a strong wind gust.

11-12

In 1901…an apparent cold front produced northeast winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 48 mph on the 11th. General rain changed to snow overnight and totaled 2.0 inches.  This was the first snowfall of the season. Total precipitation was 0.32 inch.

Continue reading October 11 to October 17 – This week in Denver weather history →