Late June weather is usually relatively calm but when it turns severe, it can do so in spades.  Hail, flooding rains, tornadoes and more are not unusual.  This week in Denver weather history we see plenty of each of those including a hail storm in 1993 that damaged dozens of planes at Denver International Airport. 

19-21

In 1875…smoke from several large forest fires in the mountains was visible from the city on each of these days.

20

In 1888…northwest winds were sustained to 44 mph.
 
In 1956…a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 58 mph at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1964…hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported 1 mile north of Stapleton International Airport.  A 3 minute hail storm at both Stapleton International Airport and Lowry Field piled small hail to one half inch deep.
 
In 1967…a strong thunderstorm dumped 1.95 inches of rain in less than an hour at Stapleton International Airport and produced a wind gust to 54 mph.  The storm caused some flooding in east Denver and Aurora.  There was widespread flooding to streets…basements…and store buildings and automobiles.  Hail stones to 3/4 inch in diameter were measured at Buckley Field in Aurora.  A tornado touched down just south of Littleton…damaging a barn and killing several head of cattle.
 
In 1985…a wind gust to 61 mph was reported at Golden Gate Canyon in the foothills west of Denver.
 
In 1986…a man was killed by lightning at Highlands Ranch south of Denver.
 
In 1987…several tornadoes were sighted across metro Denver.  A tornado touched down briefly 5 miles west of Parker.  A tornado was sighted just north of Chatfield Reservoir.  A tornado just northwest of Watkins was on the ground for 15 minutes.  A tornado near Barr Lake was taped by a television news crew.  It had a double vortex and was on the ground for about 10 minutes.  In addition to the 4 tornadoes…severe thunderstorms dumped large hail across metro Denver.  One inch hail was reported in southeast Aurora; 3/4 inch hail fell at the Denver technology center…Buckley Field…and Franktown.
 
In 1992…several short-lived tornadoes occurred in the vicinity of Barr Lake.  No injuries or damages were reported.  A water spout was sighted over the southern end of Barr Lake.  Funnel clouds were also sighted on the grounds of the rocky mountain arsenal by national weather service observers at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1994…hail up to dime size covered I-25 south of Denver and near Sedalia.  Heavy rain caused local flooding on the interstate highway.
 
In 1996…strong thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs in Boulder on the University of Colorado campus.  A stop light in the city was also blown down.
 
In 1999…lightning sparked an oil tank fire near Brighton.
 
In 2001…large hail driven by strong thunderstorm winds raked Denver international and Front Range airports.  Wind gusting to 54 mph along with hail as large 2 inches in diameter punched at least 14 thousand holes and cracks in the flat roofs of several buildings at Denver International Airport. In addition…93 planes and hundreds of cars were damaged. About 100 flights had to be cancelled…stranding 1500 travelers.  The airport was completely shut down for about 20 minutes.  The storm also damaged a ground avoidance radar used to track planes on the ground to prevent collisions. Damage was estimated at 10 million dollars…not counting the damage to the 93 airliners.  The storm moved south and struck Watkins with hail as large as 2 1/2 inches in diameter and winds gusting to 60 mph.  A least 30 private planes at Front Range airport were destroyed.  The radome protecting the national weather service doppler radar…which was tracking the storm…also sustained damage.  The large hail…damaging winds…and heavy rain pummeled a mobile home park near Watkins.  In the park…52 mobile homes…14 recreational vehicles…3 homes…and a commercial building were damaged.  Siding was riddled with holes and windows were broken.  Vehicles sustained extensive damage and car windows were shattered.  A handful of people were treated for minor cuts and bruises.  The strong winds also flipped a tractor trailer along I-70 near Watkins.  The storm caused power outages…which affected about 1200 residents. Excluding the damage at Denver International Airport…damage estimates totaled 49 million dollars…making the storm the costliest in the last 3 years and the 10th costliest since 1984.  A small tornado touched down just east of Brighton… But did no damage.  Hail as large as 2 inches in diameter fell near Fort Lupton with 3/4 inch hail measured in Bennett.  Precipitation from the storm totaled only 0.23 inch at Denver International Airport.
 
Continue reading June 20 to June 26 – This week in Denver weather history →

June typically is a very eventful weather month and looking back at this week in Denver weather history that is clearly seen.  Among the more noteworthy items are the 2002 Hayman Fire, a 1965 flood that damaged dozens of bridges in the Denver area and the infamous tornadoes in 1988 that struck near downtown Denver. 

11-14

In 1999…damage from several hailstorms in and near metro Denver totaled 35 million dollars.  About 17.5 million dollars was from automobile claims with another 17.5 million in homeowner claims.  The areas hardest hit by the storms included Castle Rock…Commerce City…Evergreen… And Golden.

12-17

In 2000…two large wildfires developed in the Front Range foothills as careless campers and very dry conditions proved to be a dangerous combination.  Strong winds gusting in excess of 60 mph on the 13th fanned the flames… Spreading both wildfires out of control.  Winds gusted to 78 mph atop Niwot Ridge near the Continental Divide west of Boulder.  The hi meadows wildfire…about 35 miles southwest of Denver…consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 80 structures…mostly high priced homes.  The bobcat wildfire…located about 12 miles southwest of Fort Collins… Consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 22 structures.  Late on the 16th…a strong cold front moved south over the great plains into northeastern Colorado.  Low level upslope conditions developed in the wake of the front…producing 2 to 4 inches of snowfall overnight at elevations above 8 thousand feet.  Firefighters were able to contain both fires shortly thereafter.

13

In 1956…a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 59 mph at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1957…an unconfirmed tornado appeared to touch the ground in the vicinity of Franktown.  No damage was reported from the twister.
 
In 1968…a violent gust of wind…possibly associated with a thunderstorm…caused 75 hundred dollars damage in Boulder.
 
In 1973…hail…1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter…fell over Lakewood.  Flash flooding occurred in west Denver from the same storm.
 
In 1974…a thunderstorm wind gust to 64 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1977…hail the size of table tennis balls…1 1/2 inches in diameter…was reported in Boulder.
 
In 1981…large hail to golf ball size fell in Denver… Northglenn…and Brighton.  Hail as large as baseballs was reported in Federal Heights.
 
In 1984…one of the worst hailstorms ever experienced in metro Denver struck the northwestern suburbs of Arvada…Wheat Ridge…and Lakewood…but large hail also fell in Golden… Southeast Denver…and Aurora.  Homes and other buildings sustained around 200 million dollars in damage.  Thousands of cars were battered by giant hailstones…and total damage to vehicles was estimated at 150 million dollars.  In some areas…golf ball size hail fell continuously for 30 to 40 minutes.  Some places were pelted with a few stones as large as grapefruits!  Roofs on thousands of structures were severely damaged.  Uncounted car windshields were broken; two-thirds of Arvada’s police cars were rendered inoperable.  Torrential rains…with as much as 4.75 inches in Lakewood clogged drains and caused widespread damage from flooding.  In some places hail was washed into drifts several feet deep.  About 20 people were injured by the giant hailstones.  One couple was hospitalized.  A woman drowned when she was trapped under a trailer by high water. Only pea size hail fell at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1988…2 inch hail fell in Parker.  Soft hail 1 inch in diameter fell at the mouth of turkey creek canyon 5 miles southeast of Morrison.  Hail between 1 inch and 1 3/4 inches fell at both Bennett and Strasburg.  A tornado touched down briefly at Strasburg.  A brief funnel cloud was sighted by national weather service observers 15 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1991…a Boulder man was injured when struck by lightning while in a tent.  He received only minor burns.
 
In 1997…lightning struck a home in Denver.  The extent of the damage was unknown.  A home in Littleton was also struck.  The house caught fire…but the extent of the damage was not known.
 
In 1998…a strong mountain wave produced a brief period of high winds along the Front Range.  A small building atop squaw pass west of Denver was blown down.  Tree limbs were downed across metro Denver.  Peak wind gusts included:  80 mph on squaw pass…69 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield…and 60 mph in Westminster and at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.  West-northwest winds gusted to 51 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2001…high winds developed briefly in Boulder County. A peak wind gust to 76 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research atop the mesa in Boulder. A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded at southern hills middle school in Boulder.  Lightning started a small fire…which damaged the roof of a house in Greenwood Village.
 
In 2009…severe thunderstorms produced hail up to one inch in diameter near Arvada and byers…as well as 7 miles north-northwest of Front Range airport near watkins.

Continue reading June 13 to June 19 – This week in Denver weather history →

We are getting closer to Colorado’s severe weather season and see how dangerous it can be when we look back in Denver weather history.  Many occurrences of dangerous lightning, large hail, flooding and tornadoes have been the hallmark of this week in Denver weather history.

20-27

In 2002…lightning sparked a wildfire near Deckers.  Extremely dry conditions and very strong winds the following day allowed the fire…known as the schoonover…to consume 3850 acres before it could be contained.  Thirteen structures were destroyed…including 4 homes…resulting in 2.2 million dollars in damage.

21-23

In 1876…snow changed to heavy rain over the city…resulting in widespread flooding along Cherry Creek and the South Platte River…nearly as great as the flash flood of May 19-20…1864.  However…damage was greater because the city had grown much larger and there were more bridges for the flood waters to destroy.  Precipitation in the city totaled 6.70 inches from 10:00 pm on the 21st through 3:00 am on the 23rd.  The greatest precipitation ever recorded in Denver in 24 hours…6.53 inches…occurred on the 21st and 22nd.  Small buildings and bridges along Cherry Creek were washed away by the flood waters.  Bridges over the South Platte River were damaged.  The city irrigation ditch was damaged and rendered unfit for service.  Strong winds at speeds of 30 to 40 mph drove the heavy rain through brick walls 12 to 16 inches thick.  Many sheep and cattle were either killed by lightning or drowned…including some 100 head of cattle in Jefferson County alone.  There was immense damage to railroad tracks…especially the Kansas Pacific line to the east of the city.  The Colorado Central suffered estimated damage of 10 to 15 thousand dollars.  In addition…the heavy rain caused extensive flooding on soda and bear creeks in the foothills.  Flooding along Boulder creek inundated farm and pasture land in the Boulder valley and damaged a few bridges.  Rail travel had to be suspended in the area for several days.

22-23

In 1933…high winds and gales overnight caused considerable damage in and near the city.  Much greenhouse glass was broken…which caused damage to sheltered plants.  Great numbers of plants growing in the open were damaged or killed by wind-driven sand and soil.  Fields were eroded by the wind and a few trees were uprooted.  West winds were sustained to 38 mph with gusts as high as 65 mph in downtown Denver on the 22nd.

23

In 1916…southeast winds were sustained to 43 mph with gusts as high as 52 mph.  The winds were strong for several hours during the afternoon.
 
In 1965…thunderstorm outflow wind gusts to 59 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1987…slow moving thunderstorms bombarded metro Denver. One inch diameter hail was reported in south central Denver.  Torrential rain caused widespread street flooding… Stalling traffic throughout the area.  Rainfall totaled 2.10 inches in just 25 minutes in extreme southeast Aurora. Many other locations in Aurora and east Denver reported 1 to 1 1/2 inches of rain in about 30 minutes.  Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 1.33 inches at Stapleton International Airport where 1/4 inch diameter hail was measured and north winds gusted to 40 mph.  A man was slightly injured by lightning near Stapleton International Airport.  Lightning also started a fire that severely damaged a house in Aurora.
 
In 1990…a microburst wind gust to 52 mph at Stapleton International Airport produced some blowing dust.
 
In 1991…thunderstorms moving from southwestern sections of metro Denver to the east of Denver produced large hail up to golf ball size.  An estimated 5 thousand homes and 8 thousand cars received considerable damage.  Early estimates placed damage costs around 60 million dollars. Three funnel clouds were also reported…two by personnel at Buckley Field and the other by a storm spotter.  Heavy rain produced street flooding in Aurora where hail accumulated to a depth of 6 inches.  As the storms moved to the east…golf ball size hail was reported at Strasburg.
 
In 1997…hail to 3/4 inch diameter fell in Broomfield.
 
In 2002…a very strong microburst near Strasburg swept a woman into a swirl of dirt and carried her about 150 feet. The woman was in an open field…corralling a yearling horse… When the incident occurred.  Fortunately…she received only minor injuries.

Continue reading May 23 to May 29 – This week in Denver weather history →

Late spring typically brings some of the most eventful weather Denver sees throughout the year and our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows that.  There are many typical events we would expect to see such as hail, heavy rain and flooding, and even tornadoes.  Most notably, this week marks the two year anniversary of the Windsor tornado.  And, for those that think the snow is done, we can see that in 1983 a snowstorm struck the city forcing the closure of Stapleton International Airport.

14-18

In 1996…a period of unusually warm weather resulted in 4 record maximum temperatures in 5 days.  The record high temperatures were 87 degrees on the 14th…89 degrees on the 15th…and 93 degrees on both the 16th and 18th.  The temperature climbed to only 81 degrees on the 17th which was not a record.

15-16

In 1957…heavy snowfall totaled 8.8 inches at Stapleton Airport. The greatest amount on the ground was 3 inches.
 
In 1986…a spring storm dumped 1 to 2 inches of rain over metro Denver…but 2.71 inches fell at Buckley Field in Aurora.  Rainfall only totaled 0.84 inch at Stapleton International Airport.  Snow fell in the foothills with 7 inches recorded in Coal Creek Canyon southwest of Boulder.

16

In 1875…a heavy hail storm turned into heavy rain during the afternoon.  Rainfall totaled 0.86 inch in just 37 minutes…while the temperature dropped 22 degrees in 22 minutes.  Precipitation totaled 0.90 inch.
 
In 1894…west winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 56 mph.
 
In 1949…a tornado was observed for 16 minutes…20 miles to the southeast of Stapleton Airport.  The tornado moved 5 miles to the northeast before dissipating.  No damage was reported.
 
In 1963…intense lightning started several forest fires in the foothills southwest of Denver near Deckers and Cheeseman Lake.  Little precipitation fell from the storms to alleviate the unusual dry conditions so early in the season.
 
In 1978…thunderstorm winds caused damage in southeast Aurora.  Winds of 60 to 80 mph blew down numerous fences and damaged several homes under construction.  High winds tore docks loose at Cheery Creek Reservoir…sinking 3 or 4 boats and damaging about 15 others.  At Stapleton International Airport where winds gusted to 60 mph…a 727 jet suffered 15 hundred dollars damage when wind toppled a runway light onto it.  The public reported an unconfirmed tornado 7 miles south-southwest of Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1990…a line of thunderstorms moving across metro Denver uprooted a large ash tree…which fell and blocked the outside doors to a Denver elementary school…briefly trapping the students inside.  Thunderstorm wind gusts to 69 mph were reported at Jefferson County Airport. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1991…two tornadoes touched down briefly in Castle Rock… But no injuries or damage were recorded.  Heavy thunderstorm rains of 0.50 to 1.10 inches in a couple of hours caused Lena Gulch near Golden to flood.  No damage was reported.
 
In 1996…dry microburst winds of unknown strength overturned a trailer and damaged storage sheds in Strasburg east of Denver.

Continue reading May 16 to May 22 – This week in Denver weather history →

As we get further into spring our look back at Denver weather history begins to show more typical severe weather.  This week in Denver weather history we see plenty of hail, heavy rainfall, a tornado or two and lightning that caused serious injuries. 

8-9  

In 1957…intense heavy rain caused flash flooding on toll gate creek in Aurora where 3 people were killed in a car. Up to 4 inches of rain fell in 5 hours in the Toll Gate Creek basin.  The rain also caused flash flooding on Sand Creek in Aurora and Denver.  Rainfall totaled 3.29 inches at Stapleton Airport with most of the rain…2.34 inches… Occurring on the 9th.

8-10 

In 1979…4.3 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 8th. Most of the snowfall…2.3 inches…occurred on the 9th. High temperature of only 35 degrees on the 9th equaled the record low maximum for the date.

9

In 1875…a heavy windstorm swept across the city for most of the day.  West-northwest winds averaged a sustained speed of 31 mph between 6:00 am and 3:00 pm.  The peak wind was sustained to 45 mph at 9:50 am.
 
In 1918…post-frontal winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts as high as 43 mph.  Only a trace of rain fell.
 
In 1941…a tornado was noted at 2:20 pm to the northeast of downtown and was followed by another similar shaped cloud or dust roll estimated 3 miles behind.  Thick dust followed with heavy gusts of wind.  The temperature fell 15 degrees in 10 minutes following the twister.  The mild tornado did little damage except to unprotected frame structures.  Winds were sustained to 50 mph with the passing of the tornado at Stapleton Airport.  It was visible to observers for 10 minutes and was lost from sight as it traveled east into huge rolls of dust.  Hail and rain followed with a few hailstones as large as 1/2 inch in diameter downtown.  No damage was reported from the hail.  Thunderstorm winds sustained to 31 mph produced blowing dust downtown.  Precipitation was only 0.07 inch.
 
In 1983…streams swollen by recent rain and snowmelt caused an earthen dam to collapse…washing out portions of State Highway 67 near Deckers in southern Douglas County.
 
In 1992…three boys…ages 11…12…and 16…were struck by lightning while taking cover under a large tree during a thunderstorm in Jefferson County…just 7 miles northwest of Denver.  The three were seriously injured.

9-10 

In 1889…heavy rainfall totaled 2.15 inches in downtown Denver.  The cold rain was mixed with snow at times overnight.  Temperatures on the 10th ranged from a high of 38 degrees to a low of 32 degrees with north winds sustained to 22 mph.
 
In 2003…a late spring snowstorm hammered the mountains… Eastern foothills…and urban corridor.  The heaviest snowfall occurred north of interstate 70.  The heavy wet snow caused damage to trees throughout metro Denver and downed power lines.  About 40 thousand people along the urban corridor were without power.  Storm total snowfall amounts included:  11.5 inches in Louisville… 8 inches in Boulder and Broomfield; 7 inches in Thornton…Broomfield…at Denver International Airport… And at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport; and 6 inches 4 miles east of Denver.  Snowfall ranged from 4 to 9 inches across extreme southern weld County.  In the foothills…15 inches of snow fell near Jamestown…9 inches at Rollinsville and Rawah…with 8 inches at Chief Hosa and atop Lookout Mountain. The snow was accompanied by thunder on the afternoon of the 9th at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 25 mph on the 9th and north winds gusted to 22 mph on the 10th.

10

In 1875…a windstorm sand-blasted the city from 10:00 am until midnight.  Northwest winds sustained to 60 mph brought clouds of sand…which caused high damage to unfinished buildings.
 
Continue reading May 9 to May 15 – This week in Denver weather history →

As we enter the month of May, our weather history calendar is as eventful as ever however we start to see a transition with fewer snow events and more typical spring events.  Of note are many events that caused flooding, severe winds, tornadoes, and lightning.

29-2

In 1954…a major storm dumped 10.1 inches of snowfall at Stapleton Airport.  Most of the snow…7.5 inches…fell on the 29th and 30th.  The maximum snow depth on the ground was 5 inches on the 30th due to melting.  No strong winds accompanied the storm.

1-2

In 1903…post-frontal rain changed to light snow overnight… But totaled only 2.0 inches.  This was the last snow of the season.  Northeast winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 48 mph on the 1st.

1-5

In 1898…snowfall totaled 15.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…6.2 inches…fell on the 3rd.  Most of the snow melted as it fell.  The greatest snow depth on the ground was only 2.5 inches on the 3rd at 8:00 pm. This was the only snowfall during the month.  Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph on the 1st.

2  

In 1874…strong winds upset two railroad passenger coaches near Georgetown.  The baggage was retrieved and placed in a heavy…large wagon.  The passengers then seated themselves on top of the baggage.  Another strong gust of wind upset the wagon.  The driver’s shoulder was dislocated…and a passenger’s leg was badly injured. In Denver…northwest winds increased and blew in gusts and heavy winds were observed on the ridge tops.  On the Kansas Pacific R.R. east of Denver…the wind was so strong that it blew the train back several lengths…which caused the train to be about 7 hours late arriving in the city.
 
In 1901…south winds were sustained to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph from an apparent thunderstorm with hail.
 
In 1944…snowfall of 8.3 inches was accompanied by a thunderstorm.  This was the last snowfall of the season and the only snow of the month.  Northwest winds were sustained to 25 mph.
 
In 1955…southwest winds at speeds of 37 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1983…1 inch diameter hail fell a few miles south of Bennett.
 
In 1984…3/4 inch diameter hail fell in Northglenn.
 
In 1988…I-70 east of Denver was closed for the second straight day…this time due to snow and blowing snow producing up to 2 foot drifts.  While only 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across metro Denver…Strasburg…just east of Denver…received a foot of snow.  North winds peaked to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled only 1.3 inches.
 
In 1995…lightning struck a house in Westminster sparking an attic fire.

2-3

In 1979…heavy rain changed to snow on the 2nd.  Snowfall totaled 3.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport… Where northwest winds gusted to 26 mph.  The greatest depth of snow on the ground was only 1 inch at midday on the 2nd due to melting.  Total precipitation for the 2 days was 1.65 inches.

Continue reading May 2 to May 8 – This week in Denver weather history →

Snow continues to be a big part of the weather we can expect this time of year as we peer back in the Denver weather history books.  However, we also see more and more occurrences of spring severe weather including hail, damaging winds, dangerous lightning and even a tornado.

23-25

In 1935…heavy wet snow fell across metro Denver.  The storm started as rain on the 23rd and changed to snow early on the morning of the 24th.  There was continuous precipitation for a period of 48 hours.  Snowfall totaled 19.0 inches over the city and 20.0 inches at Denver municipal airport.  However… Due to warm temperatures in the 30’s…much of the snow melted as it fell and did not seriously disrupt traffic. The greatest snow accumulation on the ground downtown was 12 inches…but it quickly melted.  The highest sustained wind speed recorded during the storm was 28 mph from the north on the 23rd.  The storm contained 3.16 inches of moisture.

24-25

In 1890…rain changed to snow and totaled 7.0 inches in downtown Denver.
 
In 1931…heavy snowfall totaled 9.3 inches over downtown Denver.  Winds were light during the storm.
 
In 1996…the second wind storm in less than a week developed east of the continental divide and spread over metro Denver.  High winds gusted from 60 to 90 mph.  Several power lines and poles were downed.  Some of the stronger wind gusts included:  91 mph atop Squaw Mountain west of Denver…90 mph atop Table Mesa near Boulder…85 mph in Golden Gate Canyon…and 82 mph at Wondervu.  Northwest winds gusted to 41 mph at Denver International Airport on the 25th.

24-26

In 1924…post-frontal rain changed to snow…which became heavy and totaled 10.2 inches over downtown Denver.  The greatest amount of snow on the ground was 6.0 inches on the 25th due to melting.  North winds were sustained to 38 mph with gusts to 42 mph on the 24th.

25

In 1902…northeast winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
 
In 1908…north winds were sustained to 40 mph behind an apparent cold front.  Snowfall was 0.5 inch.
 
In 1928…rain changed to snow…which became heavy and totaled 7.4 inches in downtown Denver.  Due to melting…the maximum snow depth on the ground was 4.0 inches at 6:00 pm.  This was the last snow of the season.  Southeast winds were sustained to 19 mph with gusts to 20 mph.
 
In 1976…a south wind gust to 54 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.  The high winds toppled a 70-foot high cottonwood tree onto the rear of house and a neighboring residence in central Denver.
 
In 1989…lightning caused heavy damage to a radio transmitter in Parker…knocking a Denver area radio station off the air for 3 hours.
 
In 1994…weather spotters reported dime-size hail at the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and C470 in Jefferson County.  Marble-size hail covered the ground near Golden to a depth of 1 inch.  Pea-size hail was reported covering the ground to a depth of 3 inches in Arvada.

Continue reading April 25 to May 1 – This week in Denver weather history →

April can truly bring just about any kind of weather to the Denver area.  From blizzards and snowstorms that are more common in the deepest part of winter to severe spring-like weather like tornadoes and hail, we can and do see it all.  Our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows all of those conditions and more.

17-18

In 1878…the wind blew violently all day on the 17th with a maximum sustained velocity of 40 mph.  Dust hung over the city like a cloud.  The relative humidity was zero nearly all day.  A terrific gale blew overnight.  There was much damage to buildings…signs…fences…etc.  Some wind gusts were so strong as to jar buildings to their foundations.  The station anemometer recorded sustained winds to 50 mph with higher gusts before it was damaged by the winds.  The winds moderated during the day on the 18th and ended at sunset.
 
In 1894…post-frontal rain changed to snow on the 17th around sunrise and continued through 9:00 am on the 18th. Snowfall totaled 10.5 inches…but most of the snow melted as it fell.  The high temperature warmed to only 35 degrees on the 17th after a high of 76 on the 16th.  Northeast winds were sustained to 30 mph with gusts to 32 mph on the 17th.
 
In 1998…more spring snow fell across metro Denver and in the foothills.  Snowfall totals included:  11 inches at Golden Gate Canyon; 10 inches at Highlands Ranch; 9 inches at Elizabeth; 8 inches at Broomfield and Morrison; and 7 inches at Chief Hosa…Evergreen…Littleton…and Sedalia. Snowfall totaled only 3.2 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  North winds gusted to 22 mph at Denver International Airport.

17-19

In 1920…snow fell across the city continuously for 57 hours… From the early morning of the 17th until 11:40 am on the 19th.  The heavy wet snowfall totaled 18.2 inches with the greatest accumulation on the ground of 12 inches.  Winds during the storm were strong with sustained speeds in excess of 27 mph for over 40 consecutive hours…which created near-blizzard conditions.  The highest recorded wind speeds were 44 mph with gusts to 50 mph from the north on the 17th and 39 mph with gusts to 48 mph from the northwest on the 18th.  The strong winds piled the snow into high drifts which stopped all Denver traffic. Railroads were blocked with only one train entering the city on the 19th.  All interurban trains were blocked…as were the 13 trolley lines.  Thus…many workers were unable to get home at night and filled all of the downtown hotels to capacity.  No grocery or fuel deliveries were possible… Except milk and coal to hospitals and to families with babies.  No lives were lost in the city…but several people perished in surrounding districts.  Stock losses were heavy on the plains.  Temperatures during the storm were in the 20’s.

18

In 1877…strong winds blew all day with an average sustained velocity of 36 mph.  The maximum sustained velocity was 60 mph.  No significant damage was reported.
 
In 1903…northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 53 mph.
 
In 1936…light dust spread over the city from the east on southeast winds gusting to 25 mph.  The surface visibility was reduced to about 2 miles at times.
 
In 1940…this date marked the start of the longest period without snow…200 days…through November 3…1940.  A trace of snow fell on both April 17…1940…and November 4…1940.
 
In 1963…strong winds were prevalent all day across metro Denver.  West-northwest winds gusting to 60 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1971…a microburst wind gust to 59 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1978…high winds caused much blowing dust over the plains. Wind gusts from 80 to 96 mph were reported in Boulder with 80 mph measured on Lookout Mountain.  Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 2000…high winds developed in the foothills of Boulder County.  Peak wind gusts included 71 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa Lab near Boulder. In Aurora…three workers were injured when strong winds caused a home under construction to partially collapse. Two received minor injuries…while the third worker had to be hospitalized with severe back injuries.  South winds gusted to 47 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2002…strong northeast winds behind a cold front gusted to 53 mph at Denver International Airport where some blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 3 miles.

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

We are far from finished with winter weather as is clearly shown in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.  There are many occurrences of snowstorms wreaking havoc in the Mile High City.  One such notable event was just five years ago when 1 to 2.5 feet of snow was dumped on the Front Range.

7-12

In 1959…snow falling over a 5-day period totaled 20 to 30 inches just east of the mountains…while over the plains blizzard conditions closed schools and blocked highways. The second big storm in two weeks dumped 16.4 inches of snowfall on Stapleton Airport with the most…11.6 inches… Occurring on the 8th.  East winds gusted to 37 mph on the 9th.  Temperatures dipped into the single digits on the mornings of the 7th and 12th when 7 degrees were registered.  Low temperature records for the dates were set on the 9th…10th…and 12th.  The cold temperatures caused streets to glaze with ice…resulting in the death of a pedestrian who was struck by a car in Denver.  Three people died from heart attacks while shoveling the heavy… Wet snow.

9-11

In 1951…heavy snowfall totaled 9.4 inches at Stapleton Airport.  The storm was accompanied by strong northeast winds gusting to 43 mph.
 
In 1953…heavy snowfall occurred at Stapleton Airport where 7.9 inches of snow were measured.  North winds gusted to 29 mph.
 
In 1994…6 to 14 inches of heavy snow buried much of eastern Colorado…closing many schools and I-70 from east of Denver to the Kansas border.  Rain changed to snow on the 9th…and snow continued through the 11th.  Snowfall totaled 5.7 inches at Stapleton International Airport…but maximum snow depth on the ground was only 3 inches on the 10th due to melting.  East winds gusted to 26 mph on the 9th.
 
In 1995…a major spring storm dumped 8 to 16 inches of snow in the foothills west of Denver.  Snowfall totaled 8.3 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport…but most of the snow melted as it fell with the maximum snow depth on the ground of only 2 inches.  Five-to 6-inch snow accumulations occurred over southern portions of metro Denver and eastward onto the plains.  Northeast winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International Airport on the 10th.  I-70 was closed for several hours east of Watkins to the Kansas border due to drifting snow and near whiteout conditions.  High temperature of only 29 degrees on the 10th was a record low maximum for the date.

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In 1901…rain changed to snow and totaled 10.8 inches in downtown Denver over the 4 days.  Northeast winds were sustained to 28 mph with gusts to 31 mph on the 11th. Temperatures hovered in the 30’s.

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In 1979…a heavy snow storm produced near-blizzard conditions across eastern Colorado with 10 to 20 inches in the foothills and 4 to 8 inches over the plains.  Winds to 35 mph combined with the snow to produce drifts at least 3 feet deep…closing many roads and causing power outages. Travel was interrupted south of Denver when the storm closed both I-25 and State Highway 83.  Snowfall totaled only 3.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted 37 mph…causing some blowing snow on the 11th.
 
In 2001…a potent spring storm dumped heavy snow over metro Denver and the adjacent foothills…while a blizzard roared across the plains to the east of Denver.  Snowfall amounts ranged up to a foot and a half across metro Denver and in the foothills.  North to northwest winds at sustained speeds of 40 to 50 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph piled the snow into drifts of 3 to 6 feet deep.  I-25 southbound was closed at lincoln avenue.  I-70 to the east was closed at gun club road.  The combination of heavy wet snow and damaging winds resulted in widespread electrical outages. Denver International Airport was completely shut down for the first time in its brief 6-year history.  Power surges and outages crippled the airport’s massive computer systems. The airport was closed at 5:00 am and did not re-open until mid-afternoon on the 11th.  The power outages resulted in businesses and schools closing.  Over all of northeastern Colorado…there were 220 thousand customers without power… The worst outage in Xcel energy’s history.  Repairs totaled 1.6 million dollars.  Across metro Denver…snow totals included:  18 inches in southeast Aurora…16 inches at centennial airport and Parker…14 inches at Broomfield… 13 inches in Louisville…12 inches at Lakewood and Morrison… 11 inches at Ken Caryl and Thornton…10 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport and in Wheat Ridge…9 inches in Westminster…and 8 inches in Littleton. Thunderstorms preceded the start of the snow on the afternoon of the 10th and were embedded in the snow storm during the early morning hours of the 11th at Denver International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 60 mph on the 11th.  Snow storm totals in the foothills included:  17 inches at Genesee…16 inches at Rollinsville… 14 inches at Intercanyon…13 inches in Coal Creek Canyon and near Evergreen…11 inches at Aspen Springs and Chief Hosa…10 inches at Blackhawk…and 9 inches atop Crow Hill.
 
In 2005…a strong spring storm produced blizzard conditions in areas to the east of Denver and south of I-76 and near- blizzard conditions across metro Denver.  The combination of heavy snow and strong winds forced the closure of Denver International Airport…stranding thousands of travelers. Long stretches of I-25…I-70…and I-76 were also closed due to extensive blowing and drifting snow.  Snow amounts ranged from 1 to 2.5 feet in and near the eastern foothills and over the Palmer Divide.  Drifts were 2 to 5 feet in depth.  Downed power lines caused scattered electrical outages.  Storm total snowfall amounts in and near the foothills included:  31 inches near Conifer; 27.5 inches in Aspen Springs; 25.5 inches near Sedalia and Blackhawk; 25 inches near Bergen Park and around Genesee; 24.5 inches at Pine Junction and Roxborough park; 24 inches southwest of Boulder; 23.5 inches at Ken Caryl; 23 inches atop Crow Hill and near Larkspur…Evergreen…and Nederland; 21 inches at Eldora Ski Area; 18 inches at Eldorado Springs and near Castle Rock; 17 inches near Chatfield Reservoir and Perry Park; and 16 inches near Jamestown.  Across the city storm total snow amounts were:  22.5 inches in Aurora; 22 inches at Bennett; 20 inches near Arapahoe park and in centennial… Littleton…and south Denver; 17.5 inches near Bennett; 16 inches in Thornton; 15 inches in Lakewood; 14.5 inches in wheat ridge and near Englewood; 14 inches at Lone Rree and in Arvada; and 9.9 inches at Denver Stapleton.  North winds were sustained from 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 46 mph at Denver International Airport on the 10th.

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

As we discussed in our April preview, the month is Denver’s third snowiest month behind March and November.  Our look back in Denver weather history for this week clearly shows that the month can bring not only snow, but lots of it.  If we look just at the last decade or so, we see significant snowstorms occurring in 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2005.  Will that happen this year?  Also notable are damaging wind events including one in 1999 that caused $20 million in damage.

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In 1905…much rain and some snow occurred over the 5 days behind an apparent cold front.  Precipitation totaled 2.00 inches.  There was a thunderstorm on the 3rd.  Snowfall totaled 3.0 inches on the 4th.  North winds were sustained to 34 mph on the 1st and 2nd and to 30 mph on the 3rd. High temperatures during the period ranged from the upper 30’s to the lower 40’s.  Low temperatures were in the upper 20’s and lower 30’s.

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In 1934…snowfall totaled 8.2 inches in downtown Denver from the afternoon of the 2nd through the early morning of the 4th.  Most of the snow…6.8 inches…fell on the 3rd. Rain changed to snow behind a strong cold front on the afternoon of the 2nd.  The cold front first appeared as a long-cigar shaped squall cloud to the north of the city. Strong north winds at sustained speeds of 33 mph with gusts to 43 mph produced much blowing dust and an abrupt fall in temperature…from a high of 68 on the 2nd to a low of 22 on the 3rd.
 
In 1964…a major storm dumped 10.9 inches of heavy wet snow on Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 35 mph.  Most of the snow…10.0 inches…fell on the 3rd.

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In 1918…snowfall totaled 12.4 inches over downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the 3rd and 4th.  Temperatures were in the 20’s and 30’s.  Northwest winds were sustained to 24 mph on the 2nd.

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In 1996…the foothills west of Denver received 6 to 8 inches of new snow.  Only 0.8 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport…along with some freezing drizzle on the 4th and 5th.  North-northeast winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport on the 3rd.

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In 1898…snowfall totaled 8.7 inches in downtown Denver over the 4 days.  Northeast winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph on the 3rd.
 
In 1983…a prolonged heavy snow storm blanketed the area along with very cold temperatures.  The greatest amounts of snow fell in the foothills where 24 to 42 inches were measured.  A foot of snow fell in Boulder.  Snow fell for 50 consecutive hours at Stapleton International Airport on the 3rd through the 5th with a total snowfall of 8.8 inches and a maximum accumulation on the ground of 6 inches on the 5th.  In Denver…the mercury failed to rise above freezing for 3 consecutive days…on the 4th…5th…and 6th…for the first time ever in April.  Five daily temperature records were set from the 4th through the 6th. Record low temperatures of 12 degrees occurred on the 5th with 7 degrees on the 6th.  Record low maximum temperatures of 25 degrees occurred on the 4th…27 degrees on the 5th… And 28 degrees on the 6th.

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In 1888…southwest winds were sustained to 40 mph.
 
In 1915…Chinook winds from the northwest were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 43 mph.  The winds warmed the temperature from a low of 44 degrees to a high of 67 degrees.
 
In 1935…light dust enveloped the city during the day on southwest winds sustained to 23 mph with gusts to 27 mph.
 
In 1985…north winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the visibility was briefly reduced to less than a mile by blowing dust and a snow shower.
 
In 1987…microburst winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1997…heavy snow developed over western portions of metro Denver and along the palmer divide.  As a strong surface low pressure system intensified over the plains…moist upslope flow developed across metro Denver producing strong north winds at 20 to 40 mph and some blowing snow. Snowfall totaled 12 inches at Conifer with 4 to 7 inches at Crow Hill…Evergreen…and Morrison.  Thunderstorm rain changed to snow across the city with 2.0 inches of snowfall measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 0.70 inch.  North-northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Denver International Airport.

Continue reading April 4 to April 10 – This week in Denver weather history →