Christmas Day is normally a relatively quiet day in terms of the weather but the week between it and New Year’s can be quite eventful. Among the highlights are a prolonged period of sub-zero temperatures that lasted nearly five days. Just 11 years ago a blizzard struck the region that snarled holiday travel on the air and the ground.
From the National Weather Service:
17-24
In 1924…a prolonged cold spell occurred after mild temperatures during the first half of the month. Most low temperatures dipped below zero with the coldest reading of 15 degrees below zero occurring on the 24th. The high temperature of only 5 degrees on the 18th was a record low maximum for the date.
18-24
In 1998…a vigorous cold front with north winds gusting as high as 38 mph at Denver International Airport on the 18th dropped temperatures from a high of 51 degrees to a low of just 6 degrees before midnight. The arctic air mass that settled over metro Denver produced intermittent light snow and a week-long protracted cold spell that caused low temperatures to plunge well below zero for 6 consecutive nights. The coldest temperature was 19 degrees below zero on the morning of the 22nd. High temperatures climbed only into the single digits on 4 consecutive days…from the 19th through the 22nd. At least 15 people…mostly homeless… Were treated for hypothermia at area hospitals. The bitter cold weather was responsible…either directly or indirectly… For at least 5 fatalities. Three of the victims died directly from exposure. The cold weather also caused intermittent power outages. Following the cold snap… Thawing water pipes cracked and burst in several homes and businesses…causing extensive damage. Only one temperature record was set. The high temperature of only 7 degrees on the 19th set a record low maximum for the date.
20-25
In 1983…an extremely bitter cold spell occurred. The temperature remained below zero for 115 hours in Denver… The longest sub-zero period on record. The mercury dipped to 21 degrees below zero on the 21st…the coldest recorded temperature in over 20 years. The cold was accompanied by winds that plunged chill factors to 50 to 70 degrees below zero. Two people froze to death in Denver; both were found outside dead of exposure. Numerous cases of frostbite were reported. Hundreds of water pipes broke from the intense cold…water mains and natural gas lines also fractured…and electricity consumption reached record levels. Light snow totaling 5.8 inches fell at times…and holiday traffic was delayed at Stapleton International Airport for several hours. Eight daily temperature records were set at the time. The all-time record low maximum temperature for the month of 8 degrees below zero on the 21st still stands today. Other temperature records still standing include record low maximum temperatures of 5 degrees below zero on both the 22nd and 23rd and 4 degrees below zero on the 24th.
22-24
In 2009…A winter storm produced moderate to heavy snow across parts of the Front Range and adjacent plains. In the foothills…storm totals included: 11.5 inches near Eldorado Springs…10 inches…3 miles southeast of Pinecliffe; 9 inches at Genesee…2 miles southwest of Golden and Ken Caryl; 8 inches…3 miles west of Jamestown and White Ranch Open Space; 7 inches…4 miles east-northeast of Nederland. Across the Urban Corridor and adjacent plains…storm totals included: 9 inches…2 miles west of Parker; 8 inches at Watkins; 7 inches…2 miles west-southwest of Byers…12 miles southwest of Buckley AFB and 3 miles northeast of Parker. At Denver International Airport…6.1 inches of snowfall was observed.
23-24
In 1907…winds nearly as strong as a hurricane raked Boulder and areas north of Denver…killing one person and injuring others. Property damage was minor.
In 1973…a pre-Christmas blizzard…the second in 5 days… Produced strong winds and dumped heavy snow across metro Denver. Nearly a foot…11.8 inches…of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting from 30 to 40 mph produced much blowing snow. The strong winds whipped the snow into 2- to 4-foot drifts…closing many roads and airports. About 10 thousand people were stranded at Stapleton International Airport for up to 24 hours.
In 1978…wind gusts to 90 mph on the 23rd and 73 mph on the 24th were recorded in Boulder. A townhouse under construction was severely damaged by the winds. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 37 mph on the 23rd and northwest winds gusted to 35 mph on the 24th.
In 1987…a snowstorm assured a white Christmas for metro Denver…where 4 to 8 inches fell. Amounts in the foothills ranged from 10 to 18 inches. Snowfall totaled 3.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where north winds gusted to 32 mph on the 23rd.
20-25
In 1983…an extremely bitter cold spell occurred. The temperature remained below zero for 115 hours in Denver… The longest sub-zero period on record. The mercury dipped to 21 degrees below zero on the 21st…the coldest recorded temperature in over 20 years. The cold was accompanied by winds that plunged chill factors to 50 to 70 degrees below zero. Two people froze to death in Denver; both were found outside dead of exposure. Numerous cases of frostbite were reported. Hundreds of water pipes broke from the intense cold…water mains and natural gas lines also fractured…and electricity consumption reached record levels. Light snow totaling 5.8 inches fell at times…and holiday traffic was delayed at Stapleton International Airport for several hours. Eight daily temperature records were set at the time. The all-time record low maximum temperature for the month of 8 degrees below zero on the 21st still stands today. Other temperature records still standing include record low maximum temperatures of 5 degrees below zero on both the 22nd and 23rd and 4 degrees below zero on the 24th.
24
In 1876…the all-time lowest recorded temperature in December… 25 degrees below zero…occurred. The same temperature was also reached on December 22…1990.
In 1907…west winds were sustained to 43 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees.
In 1908…west Bora winds sustained to 49 mph produced a high temperature of 42 degrees. A trace of snow fell.
In 1977…wind damaged temporary wooden structures at construction sites in Denver. Several trees were blown over…causing damage to houses and cars. Power outages occurred in northwest Denver. Some chimneys were blown off a house in the Ken Caryl Ranch area. Wind gusts to 70 mph were reported in Boulder…and northwest winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1982…on Christmas eve… one of the worst blizzards of all time dumped 24 to 34 inches of snow across metro Denver. The heaviest official one-day snow amount in the city’s history…23.6 inches…brought traffic to a standstill and completely closed Stapleton International Airport on Christmas day. Boulder received 18 to 24 inches of snow. Two feet of snow buried Parker and Sedalia to the south of Denver. Weather conditions during the storm were brutal. Visibility at Stapleton International Airport was reduced to 1/4 mile or less for 17 consecutive hours. Sustained winds of 25 mph or more persisted for 15 consecutive hours. Gusts over 40 mph were recorded during 12 different hours. The highest recorded wind gust was 51 mph. The howling winds blew snow into drifts 4 to 8 feet high…paralyzing all modes of transportation. All highways leading out of Denver were closed. Stapleton International Airport was closed for 33 hours and operated on only a limited schedule for days afterward. Thousands of travelers were stranded and failed to reach their destinations in time for Christmas. Many wayward commuters and shoppers were forced to take refuge in shopping malls… Which remained open when workers themselves became stranded. Mall restaurants served food to the refugees. The storm prevented most people in the area from spending Christmas day with family and friends. In metro Denver…three people died as a direct result of the blizzard: a 60-year-old man died of hypothermia on his screened in back porch; a 66 year old man froze to death after falling into a drift a few feet from his home; a 34- year-old man froze to death just east of Denver after abandoning his 4-wheel drive vehicle which became stuck in the snow. With the heavy snow and wind chill temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees below zero…there were many injuries from frostbite and falls. Damage from the blizzard was varied and widespread. A number of roofs collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow; greenhouses received the greatest damage when the heavy snow shattered glass roofs… Allowing cold air to freeze the tender plants inside. Total damage to greenhouses and plants alone was estimated at 5 million dollars. The strong winds with the storm damaged many fences and caused numerous power outages. Last minute Christmas shoppers were literally left out in the cold and snow…as the storm made travel increasingly difficult during the day. Merchants lost significant income from the last shopping day before Christmas. Overall…businesses lost an estimated 500 million dollars due to the blizzard. In metro Denver…seven million dollars were spent for snow removal…three million dollars in the city of Denver alone. This expenditure did not prevent a subsequent snow removal controversy. Once the major streets were made passable…cold late December and January temperatures prevented much melting. Icy and snowpacked side streets and parking lots became rutted… Making travel around metro Denver difficult for nearly a month after the storm. In fact…snow cover of an inch or more lasted for 48 consecutive days after the storm… Through February 9…1983. This is the third longest period of snow cover on record in the city. The period would have been longer…but no significant snow fell for more than 2 months after the storm.
24-25
In 1891…heavy snowfall of 7.0 inches in downtown Denver provided a white Christmas. Most of the snow…6.5 inches… Fell on the 24th. Northwest winds were sustained to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph on the 24th.
In 1894…snow began falling during the evening of the 24th… Ended during the early afternoon of the 25th…and totaled 6.4 inches in downtown Denver. Northwest winds were sustained to 26 mph with gusts to 30 mph on the 24th. The maximum snow depth on the ground was 5 inches. The high temperature was only 18 degrees on the 25th after a low of 8 degrees.
In 1980…strong Chinook winds of 50 to 60 mph occurred in the foothills with a wind gust to 90 mph recorded at Wondervu. West winds gusted to 33 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 25th.
In 1997…a relatively rare Christmas snowstorm blanketed much of northeastern Colorado. Snowfall in and near the Front Range foothills and south of metro Denver ranged from 5 to 8 inches. Elsewhere…new snow accumulations were generally 1 to 3 inches. Snowfall totaled only 1.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 29 mph at Denver International Airport on the 24th.
In 2012…a winter-like weather moved into northeast Colorado on Christmas Eve as an upper level trough and a strong cold front moved through the region. At Denver International Airport…2.5 inches of snow fell from Christmas Eve through Christmas morning. The high temperatures on Christmas Day only reached 16 degrees…which was the coldest day of the month.
25
In 1873…northwest winds were sustained to 36 mph during the morning and to 48 mph in the evening. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 53 degrees.
In 1883…gusty very strong winds raked Boulder…causing 11 hundred dollars in damage.
In 1985…Table Mesa in Boulder was buffeted by wind gusts to 68 mph.
In 1993…occasional high winds occurred over portions of the higher foothills west of Boulder and Denver. A wind gust to 87 mph was recorded on squaw mountain…and a gust to 83 mph occurred at Rollinsville. Northwest winds gusted to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2007…a winter storm brought heavy snow to the Front Range of Colorado. The heaviest snow fell near the foothills of Boulder…Douglas and Jefferson counties. The snow caused accidents throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Gusty winds produced snow drifts from 2 to 3.5 feet in depth. Total snowfall for the calendar day in Denver was 7.8 inches…setting a new record for Christmas Day. The measurement was taken at the former Stapleton International Airport; the previous record was 6.2 inches… Set in 1894. Storm totals in the Front Range foothills included: 13.5 inches at Coal Creek Canyon; 12 inches…5 miles east-southeast of Aspen Park; 11 inches; 6 miles southwest of kassler; 10.5 inches at Eldorado Springs. Elsewhere…storm totals ranged from 5 to 10 inches. In the urban corridor storm totals included: 9 inches near Elizabeth; 8 inches in southwest Denver…Highlands Ranch…Marston Reservoir and Wheat Ridge; 7.5 inches in Arvada; 7 inches in Centennial and Lakewood; 6.5 inches in Aurora and 8 miles southeast of Watkins; 6 inches in Boulder…Englewood and Parker. Elsewhere…storm totals ranged from 3 to 5 inches.
25-26
In 1904…after a warm Christmas Fay with a high temperature of 50 degrees…a late day cold front plunged temperatures to a low of 7 degrees…produced northeast winds sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 54 mph…and produced 5.2 inches of snow overnight for a late white Christmas. The maximum temperature on the 26th was only 16 degrees.
In 2014…a winter storm brought a rare Christmas Day snowfall to the Front Range Foothills and Urban Corridor…from the afternoon of the 25th to the evening of the 26th. Storm totals included: 12.5 inches…4 miles west of Boulder; 12 inches…4 miles southwest of Eldorado Springs and 4 miles south of Golden; 11 inches at Genesee; 10 inches near Allenspark…5 miles west of Chatfield Reservoir… 5 miles southwest of Golden and near Tiny Town; 8 inches in Lakewood and Louisville; 7.5 inches in Niwot; 7 inches in Longmont; with 6 inches in Broomfield and Frederick. At Denver International Airport…5.1 inches of snowfall was observed.
25-31
In 1980…temperatures were unusually warm during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. High temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-50’s to the mid-70’s. Four temperature records were set. Record highs occurred on the 26th with 68 degrees…the 27th with 75 degrees…and the 30th with 71 degrees. A record high minimum temperature of 41 degrees occurred on the 27th.
26
In 1877…heavy snow fell during the early morning and totaled nearly 6 inches. Precipitation from melted snow was 0.58 inch. After the snowfall…a number of sleighs were seen on the city streets.
In 1879…after a morning low of 4 degrees below zero… The temperature climbed to a high of 57 degrees in the city.
In 1907…west winds were sustained to 40 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 62 degrees.
In 1949…west winds gusted to 50 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1998…intense…but localized…downslope high winds developed near Wondervu in the foothills southwest of Boulder. Winds frequently gusted to 100 mph with a highest reported wind gust to 104 mph. West winds gusted to only 43 mph at Denver International Airport.
Continue reading December 24 to December 30: This week in Denver weather history