Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?

The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles.  Is it accurate tto compare weather between the two locations?
The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate to compare weather between the two locations?

February 2009 is Denver’s least snowiest February on record.  A new record high temperature is recorded on January 21, 2009.  Record low temperatures are recorded on December 14th and 15th of last year

These announcements are common and we all take notice when we hear them and they make for great water cooler chat topics but are these claims accurate? 

In 1995 Denver finally opened its new airport, Denver International Airport, out on the plains east of the city.  This new facility, 12 miles as the crow flies northeast of the old Stapleton International Airport, moved the airport from an urban environment to a rural one and more than 19 miles from the center of Denver.  Following that move, the National Weather Service (NWS) began taking some of its official measurements at the glistening new airport.  In doing so, some say Denver’s climate records have forever been altered and as such any weather record should have an asterisk attached to it. 

On Examiner.com we have launched a three part investigative series on this topic.  It is a fascinating read – click here to read the rest of the story.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather

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