This may be the first full week of spring officially but as any longtime Colorado resident will tell you, spring-like weather is not a given this time of year.  As we look back at this week in Denver weather history, it is very clear that oftentimes Old Man Winter insists on hanging around for a bit longer.

18-21

In 1907…a warm spell resulted in 6 daily temperature records.  Record maximum temperatures of 82 degrees occurred on the 18th with 81 degrees on the 19th and 80 degrees on the 20th.  Record high minimum temperatures of 52 degrees occurred on the 19th and 20th with 54 degrees on the 21st.

19-21

In 1888…heavy snowfall totaled 8.6 inches over downtown Denver.  North winds were sustained to 27 mph on the 19th.

20-21

In 1878…warm days with high temperatures in the lower 70’s in the city…caused snow to melt on the palmer divide…which caused the waters in Cherry Creek to rise. The high…rapid running water damaged a home and eroded bridge footings and abutments.  Some bridges became unsafe for the passage of trains.
 
In 1904…southwest winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 68 degrees on the 20th.  The high was only 42 degrees on the 21st behind a cold front…which produced 1.3 inches of snow and northeast winds sustained to 27 mph overnight.
 
In 1923…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow and totaled 8.2 inches over the city.  North winds were sustained to 27 mph with gusts to 29 mph on the 20th. This was the second major snow in a week.
 
In 1932…rain changed to heavy snow…which totaled 6.2 inches in downtown Denver.  North winds gusted to 22 mph on the 21st.
 
In 1948…heavy snowfall totaled 7.2 inches over downtown Denver.
 
In 1952…a major snow storm produced north wind gusts to 35 mph and dumped 16.9 inches of snowfall on Stapleton Airport.  The maximum snow depth on the ground was 13 inches due to melting.
 
In 2000…heavy snow fell in and near the foothills of Douglas and Jefferson counties.  Snowfall totals included:  9 inches near tiny town and 7 inches in Littleton.  Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport on the 20th.

20-22

In 1944…heavy snow fell over metro Denver for a total of 36 hours.  The storm dumped 18.5 inches of snowfall over downtown Denver and 12.2 inches at Stapleton Airport. Fortunately…there were no strong winds with the storm. North winds to only 19 mph were recorded on the 21st.

21

In 1898…an apparent Canadian cold front produced strong winds and plunged temperatures from a high of 56 degrees to a low of 8 degrees late in the day.  North winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
 
In 1908…light snowfall of 1.3 inches produced 0.10 inch of precipitation.  This…along with the 0.01 inch of precipitation on the 8th…resulted in the driest March on record with a total of 0.11 inch of precipitation.
 
In 1916…southwest winds were sustained to 46 mph with a gust to 48 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 62 degrees.
 
In 1923…heavy snowfall totaled 8.0 inches in downtown Denver.
 
In 1953…northwest winds gusting to 57 mph briefly reduced visibility to 3/4 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1981…rain changed rapidly to snow…but totaled only 2.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport.  North winds gusting to 35 mph produced much blowing snow and reduced the visibility to a half mile at times.  Over the higher elevations of south metro Denver…4 to 6 inches of snow were measured.

Continue reading March 21 to March 27 – This week in Denver weather history →

Think winter is over?  Don’t count on it.  A quick look back at this week in Denver weather history illustrates why.  Many occurrences of winter-like weather can intrude as we see and we don’t even have to look very far back.  It was this week that the March Blizzard of 2003 struck – one of the worst snowstorms in Denver history.

9-19 

In 1906…an extended cold and blustery period occurred with light snow totaling 14.4 inches over 11 consecutive days. The greatest amount of snow on a single day was 4.0 inches on the 15th.  Only a trace of snow fell on the 12th and 17th. High temperatures were below freezing for the entire period. The coldest were 14 degrees on the 16th and 18 degrees on the 17th.  Both readings were record low maximums for the dates. Low temperatures were mostly in the single digits.  The coldest were 2 degrees below zero on the 16th and 5 degrees below zero on the 19th.  Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph on the 9th.  North winds were sustained to 36 mph on the 10th…32 mph on the 13th…and 22 mph on the 15th.

12-16

In 1880…a protracted cold spell resulted in 8 temperature records being set.  Record low temperatures for the date were set when the temperature dipped to 10 degrees below zero on the 13th and 14th…8 degrees below zero on the 12th and 15th…and 4 degrees below zero on the 16th. Daily record low maximum temperatures were set with 11 degrees on the 12th…12 degrees on the 13th…and 19 degrees on the 15th.

13-14

In 1996…a storm system moving across northern Colorado dumped heavy snow in the mountains and foothills and across metro Denver where snowfall ranged from 5 to 10 inches.  A foot of new snow was measured at Nederland with 11 inches at Conifer.  Snowfall totaled 8.0 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  Northeast winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport on the 13th.

13-15

In 1906…snowfall totaled 8.0 inches over downtown Denver.

Continue reading March 14 to March 20 – This week in Denver weather history →

As we talked about in our March weather preview, Denver can see the entire gamut of weather conditions this time of year and our look back at this week in history shows that.  There are of course plenty of the famous March snowstorms including big ones in 1992 and 1998.  We also see the usual high winds such as was the case in 2000 and even extreme cold as we saw over an extended period in 1906.

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6-7

In 1981…a storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of snow over higher elevations between Denver and Colorado springs.  At Stapleton International Airport…north winds gusted to 16 mph and snowfall totaled only 2.5 inches.
 
In 1998…heavy snow fell over portions of metro Denver and the adjacent foothills.  Snowfall totals included 11 inches at Chief Hosa…10 inches near Evergreen…8.5 inches in Broomfield…8 inches at Bailey…and 7 inches at both Standley Lake and Thornton.  Elsewhere…snowfall across metro Denver ranged from 3 to 6 inches with 4.9 inches measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  North winds gusted to 26 mph at Denver International Airport on the 7th.  Several accidents occurred along area roads and highways when they became icy and snowpacked.

6-8

In 1932…snowfall totaled 6.3 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…5.2 inches…fell on the 8th.  Northeast winds gusted to 20 mph on the 6th.

7  

In 1872…heavy rain started shortly after midnight and soon turned to sleet…which continued to just after sunrise…the ground at that time not even being white. At about 7:00 am the worst snow storm of the winter commenced and continued until 10:00 pm…snowing heavily nearly all the time.  North winds averaged a sustained speed of 25 mph.  About 8 inches of snow fell…but it drifted too much to obtain a direct measurement.
 
In 1901…northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph.  The strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 70 degrees.
 
In 1902…northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 53 mph.
 
In 1950…strong north winds at 40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph produced a dust storm across metro Denver.  At Stapleton Airport…blowing dust reduced visibility to as low as 1/4 mile for most of the day.
 
In 1972…northwest winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport.  The Chinook winds warmed temperatures to a high of 64 degrees.
 
In 1984…a wind gust to 63 mph was recorded at Golden Gate Canyon west of Denver.  West winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

Continue reading March 7 to March 13 – This week in Denver weather history →

Wild weather is a fact of life in Denver and in Colorado in general.  We see that consistently in the history books and this week demonstrates that.  As usual we see high wind events and extreme cold.  Also notable is that as we enter the month of March, we start to see occurrences of those heavy, wet spring snows that can wreak havoc. 

From the National Weather Service:

22-29

In 1960…heavy snowfall of 6.1 inches at Stapleton Airport on the 22nd and 23rd marked the beginning of a protracted cold spell which lasted until the end of the month.  The cloudy… Cold weather was accompanied by occasional light snow or flurries and fog.  New record low temperatures for the dates were set on the 24th thru the 29th with the lowest temperature of 11 degrees below zero on the 28th.  The seven consecutive days of low temperatures of zero or below had been exceeded in duration only 4 times previously.  New low maximum temperatures for the dates were set on the 23rd… 24th…and the 26th thru the 29th with the lowest maximum temperature of 8 degrees recorded on the 26th.
27-28 in 1918…heavy snowfall totaled 9.6 inches in downtown Denver.  Most of the snow…8.4 inches… Fell on the 27th.
 
In 1931…a major winter storm dumped 12.0 inches of heavy snowfall over downtown Denver.  This is the greatest 24 hour snowfall ever recorded during the month of February. North winds gusted to 18 mph on the 28th.
 
In 2006…a warm spell resulted in 3 temperature records. The high temperature of 73 degrees on the 27th equaled the record high for the date.  High temperature of 77 degrees on the 28th was a record high for the date and equaled the all time record high temperature for February first set on February 4…1890.

28

In 1896…northwest winds were sustained to 54 mph with gusts to 65 mph.  The winds warmed the temperature to a high of 56 degrees.  This was the second consecutive day of strong winds in the city.
 
In 1958…at Stapleton Airport… Snowfall totaled 5.3 inches and northeast winds gusted to 24 mph.

28-1

In 1875…6 inches of snow fell from 3:15 pm on the 28th to 1:00 am on the 1st.  Precipitation for the two days was 0.50 inch.

29

In 1896…southwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 60 mph.  This was the third consecutive day that strong winds occurred in the city.
 
In 1992…Chinook winds gusted to only 25 mph at Stapleton International Airport…but warmed the temperature to a high of 70 degrees…which equaled the record for the date first set in 1940.
 
In 2004…only light snow fell across metro Denver… While a blizzard raged across northeast Colorado.  Both I-70 and I-76 were closed to the east of Denver by winds gusting to 60 mph producing drifting snow to depths of 2 to 6 feet. Snowfall was only 1.6 inches at the Denver Stapleton site. North winds gusted to 41 mph at Denver International Airport.

29-1 

In 1896…snowfall totaled 5.5 inches in the city.  Northeast winds gusted to 24 mph.
 
In 1948…snowfall totaled 5.9 inches in downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 15 mph.

1 

In 1904…west winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 67 degrees.
 
In 1906…snowfall was heavy and totaled 7.5 inches over downtown Denver.  Northeast winds were sustained to 37 mph.
 
In 1940…snowfall was heavy and totaled 7.7 inches in downtown Denver.
 
In 1943…6.0 inches of snow fell over downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 19 mph.
 
In 1956…west-northwest wind gusts to 52 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1961…a wind gust to 65 mph was recorded at the Colorado building in downtown Boulder.  The high winds caused some minor damage.  Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1974…a wind gust to 77 mph was recorded in Boulder. Southwest winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 2002…upslope conditions caused heavy snow to develop in and near the eastern foothills.  Snow totals included 14 inches at Eldorado Springs and near Genesee; 13 inches atop Lookout Mountain; 12 inches in Coal Creek Canyon; 10 inches in Nederland and just east of Boulder; 9 inches in Boulder and Morrison; and 8 inches at Broomfield…Erie…  Golden…Louisville… And Littleton.  Snowfall totaled 6.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  Northeast winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport.

Continue reading February 28 to March 6 – This week in Denver weather history →

Snow and wind dominate our look back at this week in Denver weather history.  Just last year, high winds on the Boulder Turnpike blew a trailer into oncoming traffic damaging two cars and injuring one driver.  40 years ago, a protracted cold spell resulted in seven consecutive days with low temperatures dropping to zero or below.  Those are just two of the many events – see more below.

19-21

In 1971…heavy snowfall totaled 9.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to only 16 mph.  Most of the snow occurred on the 19th and 20th. The 24 hour snowfall of 8.2 inches was the greatest in February since 1953.

20-21

In 1997…heavy snow fell in the foothills.  Snowfall totals included:  16 inches at Eldora Ski Area; 15 inches at South Turkey Creek; 14 inches at Conifer and Morrison; and 11 inches at Blackhawk…Evergreen…and Intercanyon.  Only 1.0 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  Northeast winds gusted to 32 mph at Denver International Airport on the 20th.

21

In 1901…northwest winds sustained to 43 mph with gusts to 46 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.
 
In 1935…strong west to northwest winds sustained to 30 mph with gusts to 34 mph produced considerable blowing dust. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees.
 
In 1967…west winds gusting to 53 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.  Winds were strong and gusty all day.
 
In 1988…high winds were reported along the foothills with 90 mph in east Boulder where the winds knocked out a few street and traffic lights.  The strong winds whipped a grass and timber fire in Boulder canyon.  The fire threatened some homes for a time…but was extinguished before causing any significant property damage.  West winds gusting to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees.

21-22

In 1909…a major storm dumped 12.9 inches of heavy snowfall over the city.  North winds were sustained to 37 mph on the 22nd.  Temperatures during the storm hovered in the 20’s.

22

In 1893…northwest winds were sustained to 36 mph with gusts to 50 mph.
 
In 1900…northwest winds sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 45 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 61 degrees.
 
In 1910…a cold front caused a remarkably sharp drop in temperature from 43 degrees at 3:00 am to only 3 degrees at 8:30 am.  These were the high and low temperatures for the day.  Early west winds switched to northeast behind the front.
 
In 1927…west winds were sustained to 42 mph with a measured maximum velocity to 60 mph.
 
In 1954…strong and gusty west winds persisted throughout the day.  The highest wind gust recorded at Stapleton Airport was 58 mph.
 
In 1960…snowfall totaled 5.9 inches…producing near-blizzard conditions in snow and blowing snow at Stapleton Airport where northeast wind gusts to 40 mph reduced visibility to 1/2 mile.
 
In 1986…high winds occurred in the foothills.  Wind gusts of 65 to 70 mph were reported at Golden Gate Canyon…and a peak gust of 83 mph was recorded at Echo Lake.  Northwest winds gusted to only 29 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1988…a wind gust to 83 mph was recorded in Boulder with 80 mph clocked at Rollinsville.  Northwest winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1996…wind gusts to 63 mph were reported in western Elbert County.  Southwest winds gusted to 45 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 1999…strong post-frontal…Bora winds developed over the foothills and spread over the northeast plains.  Peak wind gusts included:  87 mph at Golden Gate Canyon; 84 mph at Wondervu; 80 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research mesa lab; 75 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility; 74 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield; 72 mph at the Gamow Tower on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder; and 60 mph at Bennett.  West to northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2000…thunder was heard across much of metro Denver. Thunderstorms over southwest metro Denver produced 1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter hail at Pinehurst Country Club.  A thunderstorm at Denver International Airport produced wind gusts to 34 mph.  This was only the 6th time since 1891 that thunder had been reported in February.

Continue reading February 21 to February 27 – This week in Denver weather history →

Many notable weather events have occurred in Denver this week in the past, some recently.  It was just last year that a windstorm knocked down trees and powerlines in Boulder.  Three years ago, we saw an end to 61 days straight with snow cover – the second longest streak in Denver history.

13-14

In 1895…a cold air mass settled over the city.  High temperatures of only 4 degrees on the 13th and 8 degrees on the 14th were record low maximum temperatures for each day.  Low temperatures were 6 degrees below zero on the 13th and 5 degrees below zero on the 14th…but were not records.  Light snow totaled only 0.4 inch.  Winds were light.
 
In 1960…snowfall totaled 6.1 inches and north-northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1967…high winds were widespread along the foothills where wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph were common.  A wind gust to 108 mph was measured at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.  Sustained winds of 50 to 55 mph with gusts as high as 70 mph were recorded in downtown Boulder. An estimated 3 thousand dollars in damage occurred to mobile homes in Boulder.  Power lines were downed over a wide area.  At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 32 mph on the 13th and southwest winds gusted to 48 mph on the 14th.
 
In 1972…winds gusted to 67 mph at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder.  Wind gusts to 49 mph were measured in downtown Boulder.  West winds gusted to 26 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 2001…heavy snow fell across metro Denver and in the foothills.  Snowfall totals included:  8 inches at Evergreen; 7 inches atop Crow Hill and in Lakewood; 6 inches in Denver…Doubleheader…Eldorado Springs… Morrison…and Pine Junction.  Snowfall totaled 4.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. Northeast winds gusted to 33 mph at Denver International Airport on the 13th.

14  

In 1918…southwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with a measured extreme velocity to 46 mph.
 
In 1987…metro Denver received only 3 to 4 inches of snow… But the foothills west of Boulder received up to 11 inches of snow.  Snowfall totaled 4.2 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 31 mph.
 
In 1988…winds gusted to 81 mph at Echo Lake.
 
In 2002…high winds developed in the Front Range foothills during the early morning hours.  Winds gusted to 84 mph… 11 miles north of central city.  West winds gusted to 43 mph at Denver International Airport.
14-15 in 1960…heavy snowfall totaled 6.1 inches at Stapleton Airport.
 
In 1965…5.4 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport behind a cold front.  North-northeast winds gusted to 32 mph.  Winds were strong and gusty all day and caused considerable blowing snow…contributing to hazardous driving conditions mainly to the east of Denver.
 
In 1984…a snow and wind storm howled across eastern Colorado closing I-70 east of Denver.  This was the second blizzard in less than 4 days.  Only 0.5 inch of new snow fell at Stapleton International Airport…but north winds gusted to 51 mph.

Continue reading February 14 to February 20 – This week in Denver weather history →

Snow and wind are the two dominant weather conditions seen on our look back at this week in Denver weather history.  Three years ago, the second of two major winter storms buried Denver and closed highways.  Two years ago, damaging winds that downed trees and caused power outages occurred. 

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.

26-27

In 1954…a major storm dumped heavy snow across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 8.6 inches at Stapleton Airport.  The storm produced the heaviest snowfall of the calendar year and was the only measurable snowfall in December.
 
In 1987…a snowstorm stalled in northeastern Colorado…giving metro Denver its worst winter storm in 4 years.  Total snowfall from the storm ranged from 12 to 18 inches on the east side…1 to 2 feet in Boulder County…and 2 to 3 feet in western and southern parts of metro Denver.  The largest reported snowfall was 42 inches at Intercanyon in the foothills southwest of Denver.  Snowfall totaled 14.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport.  Winds were light on the 26th…but increased as high as 40 mph on the 27th… Creating near-blizzard conditions and forcing complete closure of Stapleton International Airport for about 8 hours.  The strong winds whipped drifts to 5 feet high on the east side of town.  All interstate Highways leading from Denver were closed on the 27th.

26-28

In 1979 a heavy snow storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow over the metro area and 15 to 20 inches at Boulder with up to 2 feet in the foothills west of Boulder.  Heavy snowfall totaled 6.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph.  Most of the snow… 4.8 inches…fell on the 27th.

27

In 1895…west Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.
 
In 1901…an apparent cold front produced sustained north winds to 41 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
 
In 1957…northwest winds gusting to 52 mph produced some blowing dust across metro Denver.
 
In 1975…a northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1976…a strong pacific cold front moving across metro Denver produced a northwest wind gust to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1990…high winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 84 mph clocked on fritz peak near Rollinsville. The strong northwest winds of 50 to 70 mph whipped newly fallen snow over higher areas into billowy clouds several hundred feet high that could be seen from most locations across metro Denver.
 
In 1996…another round of high winds developed over portions of the Front Range foothills during the morning hours. Several wind gusts from 70 to 100 mph were reported at Wondervu southwest of Boulder.  West-northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.
 
In 2005…a trained weather observer in Georgetown recorded a wind gust to 94 mph.  No damage was reported.
 
In 2007…a winter storm brought heavy snow to portions of the urban corridor and adjacent plains.  Storm totals generally ranged from 3 to 7 inches.  Locally heavier bands produced up to 10 inches of snow.  In the urban corridor…storm totals included:  10 inches…10 miles south-southeast of Buckley AFB and at Castle Pines; 9.5 inches…4 miles south-southeast of Aurora and Kassler; 7.5 inches…2 miles southeast of Highlands Ranch; 7 inches in Aurora and Sedalia; 6.5 inches in Arvada…4 miles east of Denver and Lafayette; 6 inches in Castle Rock and Thornton.  A measurement of 5.4 inches was taken at the former Stapleton International Airport.  The official total for the month was 20.9 inches; making it the 6th snowiest December on record.

Continue reading December 27 to January 2 – This week in Denver weather history →