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.

9-12

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.

10-11

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.

31-4

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.

2-4  

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.

2-5

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.

3-5

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.

3-6

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.

4

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 →

Looking at historical weather records can oftentimes provide insight into what weather we can expect over a given period of time.  As we saw this past week, while the calendar says spring, Old Man Winter can return very quickly.  Our look at this week in Denver weather history we see much of the same – major snowstorms and blizzards that impact travel and knock out power to residents.  Also, these spring snowstorms are often moisture-laden and their sheer weight can be damaging. 

27-28

In 1951…heavy snowfall totaled 6.5 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusted to 38 mph on the 27th and 41 mph on the 28th.
 
In 1972…heavy snowfall of 6.2 inches was measured at Stapleton International Airport…where northeast winds gusted to only 21 mph.
 
In 1980…a major blizzard struck the northeastern Colorado plains…closing both I-70 and I-76 to the east of Denver for a time.  Some areas received 1 to 2 feet of snow.  Drifts were 4 to 8 feet high.  The storm killed many young livestock.  At Stapleton International Airport…snowfall totaled 6.7 inches from the storm and north winds gusted to 29 mph.
 
In 2002…high winds developed in the foothills west of metro Denver.  Winds gusted to 81 mph near Fritz Peak…72 mph at Rollinsville…and 70 mph at Blackhawk.  West winds gusted to 51 mph on the 27th and to 45 mph on the 28th at Denver International Airport where the temperature warmed to a high of 69 degrees on the 28th.

27-29

In 1948…high winds raked Boulder.  A wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at Valmont.  Sustained winds in excess of 35 mph were estimated in Boulder.  Minor damage was reported.
 
In 1961…heavy snowfall totaled 9.5 inches at Stapleton Airport over the 3 day period.  Most of the snow…5.3 inches…fell on the 28th.  Winds were generally light and gusted to only 22 mph from the north.

28   

In 1886…the lowest recorded temperature in March…11 degrees below zero…occurred.
 
In 1911…a thunderstorm produced snowfall of 0.4 inch…which was the only measurable snowfall of the month…making the month the second least snowiest March on record.
 
In 1962…a vigorous cold front produced strong winds across eastern Colorado.  North winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton Airport where visibility was briefly reduced to 3/4 mile in blowing dust.  A construction worker was injured in Aurora when he was struck by a windblown piece of plywood.

28-29

In 1891…rain changed to snow and totaled 9.7 inches in the city.  Northeast winds were sustained to 12 mph with gusts to 28 mph on the 28th.
 
In 1910…a strong cold front brought much wind…rain…and snow to the city.  Rain on the 28th changed to snow early on the 29th.  Snowfall totaled only 2.8 inches…but north winds were sustained to 50 mph on the 29th. Precipitation from the storm totaled 0.96 inch.
 
In 1994…moist upslope winds combined with an upper level system to dump 5 to 7 inches of snow along the eastern foothills and across metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 6.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 39 mph.  Thirteen inches of new snow were measured at the Eldora Ski Area west of Boulder.

Continue reading March 28 to April 3 – This week in Denver weather history →