Denver and Colorado weather is rarely boring. This week in Denver weather history we see numerous occurrences of Chinook winds that warmed temperatures but also arrived with such force that they caused a great deal of damage. We also see unseasably warm weather, bitter Arctic cold, and snow fall that had to be measured in feet.

From the National Weather Service:

18-24

In 2005…a week of mid-winter unseasonably warm weather pushed high temperatures into the 60’s or more on all but one day. During the period…the highest temperature of 70 degrees on the 20th was a new record maximum for the date. Low temperatures remained above freezing on 4 of the days.

22-26

In 1948…the longest period of snowfall on record (92 hours and 3 minutes) occurred in downtown Denver where a total of 13.6 inches of snow fell. At Stapleton Airport…19.0 inches of snow fell…making it the heaviest snow in January and the 5th heaviest snow of record at that time. North winds were sustained to a velocity of 23 mph on the 25th…but generally the winds were light throughout the storm. The snow disrupted traffic…but street clearing was begun soon after it became apparent that the snow would be heavy. Over the 5 days…temperatures ranged from a high of 48 degrees on the 22nd to a low of 1 degree on the 26th. Most readings were in the teens and 20’s during the storm.

23-24

In 1921…heavy snowfall in downtown Denver totaled 8.0 inches overnight. Northwest winds were sustained to 22 mph with gusts to 25 mph on the 24th.

24

In 1887…west winds sustained to 44 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 56 degrees in the city.

In 1890…northwest winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees.

In 1900…west winds were sustained to 44 mph with an extreme velocity of 46 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees.

In 1934…a trace of snowfall resulted in precipitation of 0.01 inch in downtown Denver. This was the only measurable amount of precipitation for the month…making the month one of the driest January’s on record.

In 1956…west-northwest winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton Airport. Strong and gusty winds persisted throughout the day.

In 1972…a west wind gust to 92 mph was recorded in Boulder at the National Bureau of Standards…while in downtown Boulder a wind gust to only 66 mph was measured.

In Denver…a car was demolished when the wind blew a traffic light pole onto it…and a wooden wall at a construction site was blown over damaging two cars. Northwest winds gusted to 55 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1982…strong winds were again reported along the eastern foothills. While the most damage occurred in the Fort Collins area…Boulder did not entirely escape. Nine planes were damaged at the Boulder airport along with 4 mobile homes and many cars in the Boulder area. A school in Central City was damaged. A water tank in Parker collapsed. The strongest wind gust recorded was 140 mph at Wondervu. Wind gusts reached 92 mph in Boulder. Northwest wind gusts to 61 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1992…for the third day…high winds raked the eastern foothills. Winds gusted to 105 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Several tractor trailers were overturned along State Highway 93…between Boulder and Golden. Traffic lights and signs were knocked down in Boulder. Other wind reports included: 86 mph at Rocky Flats…100 mph on Fritz Peak near Rollinsville…and 93 mph in north Boulder. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

24-25

In 1916…a trace of light rain…rare in Denver for January… Occurred on both days.

In 1946…high winds occurred in Boulder and along the foothills to the north. A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded at Valmont.

In 1947…strong winds were measured in Boulder. Hourly wind gusts averaged 72 mph at Valmont east of Boulder.

In 1950…heavy snowfall totaled 7.1 inches at Stapleton Airport and 6.8 inches in downtown Denver.

24-26

In 1970…a wind gust to 122 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder on the 24th. Winds also gusted to 109 mph at NCAR on the 26th. Most winds were estimated between 60 and 70 mph in Boulder. Damage…in most cases…was from broken windows and tree limbs and downed power lines. A roof was blown off a house in Eldorado Springs south of Boulder. A building under construction was damaged in Boulder. Reported damage totaled 25 hundred dollars in Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 47 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 24th. In Denver…the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a record high of 68 degrees on the 24th.

25

In 1872…the greatest temperature change in one day…66 degrees…from a low of 20 degrees below zero…a record low for the date…to a high of 46 degrees…occurred.

In 1888…west winds sustained to 42 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees.

In 1890…northwest Chinook winds gusting as high as 48 mph resulted in two temperature records. High temperature of 72 degrees was a record maximum for the date. Low temperature of only 48 degrees was a record high minimum for the date.

In 1914…Chinook winds from the northwest sustained to 46 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees. The low temperature was only 39 degrees.

In 1923…snowfall of 1.3 inches was the only measurable snow of the month.

In 1931…snowfall of 0.1 inch was the only measurable snow of the month. The melted snow totaled only 0.02 inch of precipitation…which was the only measurable amount of the month. This resulted in the 4th driest January on record.

In 1964…high winds occurred in Boulder…Golden…and Broomfield where a wind gust to 80 mph was recorded at Jefferson County Airport. Some power lines were downed. Damage to buildings and vehicles was also reported. West-northwest winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1971…the highest recorded wind gust in the state of Colorado…147 mph…occurred at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa in southwest Boulder. Wind gusts to 91 mph were measured at the National Bureau of Standards and to 87 mph in downtown Boulder. A wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield. The strong winds caused widespread minor damage in Boulder. Northwest winds gusting to 32 mph at Stapleton International Airport warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.

In 1980…a blizzard struck Denver right at the evening rush hours…causing massive traffic snarls and forcing the closure of I-25 north of Denver and I-70 east of the city as well as many other roads. Hundreds of travelers were stranded. Multi-car accidents involving as many as 50 cars were common. Air traffic at Stapleton International Airport was stalled for 3 hours. Winds gusted to 50 or 60 mph with visibility reduced to zero at times. The high winds knocked out electrical power in Broomfield. During the height of the storm…temperatures plunged from the freezing mark at mid-afternoon to only 5 degrees before midnight. Initial snowfall from the storm was only 3 to 5 inches across metro Denver with 4.1 inches measured at Stapleton International Airport where north wind gusts to 58 mph were recorded.

In 1988…high winds pummeled the eastern foothills with a peak gust to 96 mph recorded near Rollinsville. A gust to 109 mph was recorded at Echo Lake. West winds gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1996…heavy snow fell along the Front Range foothills. Snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches were measured from I-25 west into the foothills with lighter accumulations reported elsewhere. Snowfall totaled only 0.9 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

In 2004…locally heavy snow fell across metro Denver. The heaviest snow was south of Denver and in the foothills. Snowfall totals included: 9 inches near Indian Hills… 8.5 inches near Franktown and 9 miles southwest of Sedalia…8 inches 7 miles southwest of Aurora…and 6 inches in Highlands Ranch. Snowfall was only 2.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 35 mph at Denver International Airport

In 2008…strong westerly winds blew out three windows at a Chipotle restaurant in Louisville. Two people were taken to the hospital for minor cuts. At Denver International Airport…northeast winds gusted to 35 mph.

25-26

In 1910…gale force westerly winds of great velocity struck Boulder. Some damage was reported. West winds were sustained to 45 mph in Denver on the 25th.

Continue reading January 24 to January 30: This week in Denver weather history →

Chinook winds in January oftentimes bring welcome warmth to the Front Range.  They can however be more of a curse than a blessing as at times they can reach hurricane strength and do extensive damage.  Looking back at this week in Denver weather history, we see many such occurrences.

From the National Weather Service:

14-21

In 1930…a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days.  The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates.  High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th.  Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.

15-23

In 1962…a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week.  From the 15th thru the 23rd…low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days…but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero.  A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees.  The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st…which did not break the record.  The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening.  The severe cold caused much damage to water systems.  A woman was frozen to death at Morrison.  There were other deaths attributable to the weather…including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.

16-17

In 1886…a brief cold spell resulted in two temperature records.  High temperatures of zero degrees on the 16th and 2 degrees below zero on the 17th were both record low maximums for the dates.  Low temperatures of 8 degrees below zero on the 16th and 16 degrees below zero on the 17th were not records.

In 1930…temperatures plunging well below zero resulted in two records.  Low temperatures of 19 degrees below zero on the 16th and 20 degrees below zero on the 17th were record low temperatures for the dates.  High temperatures were 4 degrees on the 16th and 15 degrees on the 17th.  Light snowfall totaled 4.0 inches.  North winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 16th.

In 1964…high winds struck the eastern foothills.  Gale velocity winds were recorded in Boulder with gusts to 83 mph measured at Rocky Flats.  Several airplanes were damaged at the Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield. Roofs…walls…and parts of buildings were blown away at various locations.  Power poles and trees were blown over.

16-18

In 1943…light snowfall totaled 3.2 inches over the 3 days. This was the only measurable snow of the month.  North winds were sustained to 20 mph on the 16th.

In 2011…very strong winds associated with an upper level jetstream over Colorado produced blizzard conditions in the mountains above timberline. Peak wind gusts included: 99 mph atop Loveland pass…94 mph… 2 miles southwest of Mary Jane…80 mph atop Berthoud Pass and 79 mph atop Niwot Ridge. Storm totals in the ski areas west of Denver ranged from 8 to 14 inches.

17

In 1872…light snow fell during the morning and continued into the afternoon until 3:30 pm.  The sky commenced to clear a little before 2:00 pm…but snow fell thickly for at least half an hour even though the sky was perfectly clear overhead.  Melted snow totaled 0.33 inches.

In 1888…northwest winds were sustained to 46 mph in the city.

In 1905…intermittent rain…unusual in January…occurred during the day.  The rain changed to snow during the late evening…but ended before midnight.  Snowfall was 2.0 inches. Precipitation totaled 0.62 inch.  The temperature ranged from a high of 44 degrees to a low of 32 degrees.

In 1950…wind gusts to 62 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.

In 1982…one of the worst wind storms in many years hit the Front Range foothills.  The strongest winds occurred in Boulder where at 2:30 am a wind gust to 147 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research…on the mesa in southwest Boulder.  At this location 20 wind gusts over 120 mph were clocked between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.  An estimated 40 percent of all buildings in Boulder received at least minor wind damage.  About 50 homes were damaged enough to be uninhabitable.  At least 15 homes in the Table Mesa area of Boulder lost roofs.  Twenty small airplanes were destroyed at the Boulder airport.  Utility poles were snapped in two…and about one-seventh of the buildings in the area were without power.  Insured damage totaled 20 million dollars making the wind storm the most costly on record in Colorado at the time.

In 1989…high winds were recorded along the eastern foothills with gusts to 90 mph recorded at Rollinsville.  North of Denver on I-25…the wind injured two men when their tractor trailer was blown off the road and rolled.  West winds gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1990…an intense but localized snow storm caught many people by surprise when it dumped 3 to 6 inches of snow during a 3-hour period across portions of Boulder County. The storm swath approximately 20 to 30 miles wide stretched northeast from Boulder to just east of Longmont.  Only light snow fell over the remainder of metro Denver with 0.2 inch of snowfall measured at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 30 mph.

In 1998…strong winds in the foothills spread over the plains mainly north of metro Denver.  Winds gusted to 75 mph at Golden Gate Canyon.  West winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport.

17-18

In 1974…rare overnight January rainfall totaled 0.12 inch on the 17th and 0.26 inch on the 18th when it was briefly mixed with snow.

In 2012…damaging winds developed in and near the Front Range. In Boulder…the high winds knocked down several trees… Power poles and electrical lines. Some of the fallen trees damaged homes and automobiles. A semi-trailer was blown on its side along State Highway 93 near Marshall. Peak wind gusts included: 104 mph in south Boulder; 98 mph…3 miles southwest of Pinecliffe; 95 mph…2 miles northwest of Rocky Flats; 92 mph…at State Highway 93 near Marshall; 87 mph at Berthoud Pass and in Boulder Canyon; 80 mph…5 miles west- northwest of Boulder; 83 mph at NCAR Mesa Lab; 78 mph…8 miles northeast of Four Corners; 79 mph at the National Wind Technology Center; 76 mph at Wondervu; 75 mph atop Loveland Pass and the NCAR foothills lab in Boulder; 74 mph at Blue Mountain…Boulder Municipal Airport… 1 mile northwest of Lyons; 73 mph…4 miles east-northeast of Nederland; 72 mph at the junction of State Highways 72 and 93; 62 mph in Superior; and 61 mph at Erie Municipal Airport. A peak wind gust of 38 mph from the northwest was observed at Denver International Airport.

18

In 1874…light rain…rare in January…changed to snow which totaled 3 inches.

In 1959…strong gusty winds caused damage to buildings… Airplanes…trees…and a radio tower in Boulder… Broomfield…Denver…and Longmont.  A wind gust to 70 mph was recorded in Longmont.  In Boulder…the top of a radio tower was toppled and signs…trees…and trailer houses were blown over.  In southwest Denver…a mother and child were injured when their car was struck by a sign that had blown loose in the wind.  Minor damage to buildings and power lines was reported in the area.  Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Stapleton Airport.  Post-frontal east northeast winds gusted to 40 mph.

In 1961…northeast winds gusted to 29 mph and snowfall totaled only 0.1 inch at Stapleton Airport…but 2 to 7 inches of snow fell in the foothills west of Denver.

In 1975…a strong cold front roared through metro Denver producing north wind gusts to 52 mph and briefly reducing the visibility at Stapleton International Airport to less than 5/8 mile in blowing dust.  The windstorm caused considerable damage to utility lines…homes…fences… Commercial buildings…autos…and schools.  Heaviest damage was near the foothills where winds hit 80 mph at Boulder and at Rocky Flats northwest of Denver. The cold front caused temperatures to drop 13 degrees in one hour.  Temperatures fell from a maximum of 61 degrees in the early afternoon to a minimum of 31 degrees before midnight.

In 1984…the coldest morning of the new year produced record breaking temperatures with a low of 19 degrees below zero for the date at Denver.  Many other cities also reported record cold.

In 1985…highs winds occurred in the foothills with gusts reported to 60 mph at Evergreen.  Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1986…wind gusts to 60 mph were reported in Boulder. West winds gusted to 31 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1999…damaging downslope winds caused problems in the foothills.  In Eldora…the roof was blown off an a-frame house.  Peak wind gusts included:  100 mph at Central City…84 mph at Wondervu…77 mph atop Blue Mountain… 75 mph in Golden Gate Canyon…72 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility…and 70 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa Laboratory near Boulder.  West winds gusted to 36 mph and warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees…the highest reading of the month at Denver International Airport.

In 2006…high winds occurred in northern Jefferson and southern Boulder counties.  A peak wind gust to 81 mph was recorded near superior along with a gust to 80 mph near Boulder.  Five teenagers started a grassfire near Plainview atop Rocky Flats.  The high winds coupled with very dry conditions allowed the fire to quickly spread…forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents and the closure of State Highways 93 and 72.  The fire consumed 2700 acres and destroyed two outbuildings.  No homes were damaged and no one was injured by the blaze. West winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport.

18-19

In 1980…a slow moving storm deposited 4 to 10 inches of snow across metro Denver with the greatest amounts in the foothills.  Flights were delayed 30 to 40 minutes at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled 5.5 inches and north winds gusted to 22 mph.

In 1988…a blizzard produced strong winds and heavy snow across eastern Colorado.  Ten-foot drifts were common and many roads were closed including I-70…I-76…and I-25. In the Denver area…4.0 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting to 40 mph reduced the visibility to 1/2 mile at times.

18-20

In 1958…snowfall totaled 6.9 inches at Stapleton Airport where east-northeast winds gusted to 26 mph on the 18th.

18-24

In 2005…a week of mid-winter unseasonably warm weather pushed high temperatures into the 60’s or more on all but one day.  During the period…the highest temperature of 70 degrees on the 20th was a new record maximum for the date.  Low temperatures remained above freezing on 4 of the days.

Continue reading January 17 to January 23: This week in Denver weather history →

January weather is like the weather of any other month in Denver  in that you can see just about any type of condition possible.  However, three conditions are dominant during the month – wind, snow and cold.  All three make many appearances in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.

From the National Weather Service:

7-10

In 1962…a major winter storm dumped 13.5 inches of snow on metro Denver.  A foot of the snow fell on the 8th when northeast winds gusted to 30 mph.  The storm was followed by an intense blast of very cold arctic air.  Minimum temperature readings of 24 degrees below zero occurred on both the 9th and 10th.  The temperature never reached above zero on the 9th when a maximum reading of 1 degree below zero was recorded.  Temperatures were below zero for 37 consecutive hours.

8-10

In 1983…winds of 70 to 90 mph howled through Boulder. A wind gust to 100 mph was recorded on Fritz Peak near Rollinsville.  A tree blown down by the wind damaged a house in eastern Boulder County.  The strong winds developed behind a cold front late on the 8th and continued through the 10th.  At Stapleton International Airport…west to northwest winds gusted to 49 mph on the 8th…to 45 mph on the 9th…and to 48 mph on the 10th.

9-10

In 1962…the low temperature plunged to 24 degrees below zero on both days.

In 1972…a west wind gust to 60 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport…while in Boulder a wind gust to 86 mph was recorded at the National Bureau of Standards. The roof of a house was blown off…and trees were blown down in Boulder.  The high winds contributed to the damage from a building fire in Boulder.

In 2000…heavy snow and strong winds in the mountains spilled into the Front Range foothills.  Ward…northwest of Boulder…received 9 inches of new snow.  Wind gusts to 91 mph were measured in Golden Gate Canyon…with gusts to 77 mph at Loveland Ski Area and to 73 mph along State Highway 93 north of Golden.  West winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International Airport on the 9th.

In 2011…a winter storm brought moderate to heavy snowfall to areas in and near the Front Range foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals included: 13 inches…3 miles south of Golden; 11.5 inches near Eldorado Springs…10.5 inches… 2 miles southwest of Boulder; 10 inches…3 miles southwest of Roxbourough State Park; 9 inches at Genessee…8.5 inches in Arvada…4 miles south-southeast of Bennett and greenwood village…8 inches… 8 miles south of Elizabeth; 7 inches at Commerce City and 6.5 inches near Louisville and at Denver International Airport. Gusty winds produced snow drifts up to 2 feet deep over the Palmer Divide.

10

In 1893…strong west winds in Boulder and the adjacent foothills caused only minor damage.

In Denver…northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph.  The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 64 degrees and a low of only 40 degrees…which was a record high minimum for the date.

In 1911…southwest Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees.

In 1932…the first thunderstorm ever officially recorded in Denver during January occurred in the early morning. The assistant observer heard two prolonged peals of thunder between 4:20 am and 4:25 am.  Another off-duty observer was awakened by the thunder.  Other people reported both thunder and lightning.  Light snow was falling at the time.  Pellets of graupel or hail were reported from some parts of the city.  Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches.  Northwest winds gusted to 30 mph.

In 1962…as the temperature dipped to a frigid 24 degrees below zero…setting a new record minimum for the date… The pressure adjusted to sea level reached the highest ever recorded in Denver…31.24 inches (1057.8 mb).  The altimeter setting reached 30.70 inches…and the actual station pressure recorded was 25.260 inches.

In 1988…strong winds occurred throughout the day in and near the foothills.  Peak gusts to 85 mph were recorded at Rollinsville…84 mph at Echo Lake…and 64 mph in Boulder.

In 1990…a third consecutive day of 50 to 85 mph wind gusts occurred in and along the eastern foothills.  A 5 mile portion of the Denver-Boulder turnpike was closed after clouds of blowing dust and gravel caused several multicar accidents near Broomfield.  One 59-year-old woman was killed and two others injured.  A wind gust to 81 mph was recorded at the nearby Jefferson County Airport. In Boulder…wind gusts to 85 mph were blamed for ripping off a portion of a roof on a house…as well as blowing out the large picture window.  West winds gusted to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport.  The warm Chinook winds set a record high temperature of 71 degrees in Denver for the date.

In 1996…strong northwest winds developed behind a pacific cold front that moved rapidly across northeast Colorado. A peak wind gust to 64 mph was recorded at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility in Jefferson County.  North- northeast winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.

10-11

In 1948…strong winds were reported in Boulder and Lakewood. Winds of 50 to 60 mph were reported at Valmont…just east of Boulder.  Only minor damage was reported.

In 1980…strong winds of 60 to 95 mph howled across metro Denver…causing some brief power outages and some broken windows.  A wind gust to 111 mph was recorded at Wondervu. Northwest winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 10th.

In 1999…high winds gusting to 100 mph blasted the foothills. Peak wind gusts included:  100 mph at central city…98 mph at Wondervu…82 mph at Aspen Springs and Golden Gate Canyon… 81 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab in Boulder and near Nederland… 78 mph atop Blue Mountain near Coal Creek Canyon…and 72 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility.  West winds gusted to 38 mph and warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees at Denver International Airport on the 11th.

10-12

In 1997…heavy snow fell over the Front Range foothills. A foot of new snow was measured at Blackhawk with 7 inches recorded in Coal Creek Canyon.  Only 3.3 inches of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  East-northeast winds gusted to 18 mph at Denver International Airport on the 11th.

10-13

In 1963…a arctic cold wave plunged temperatures well below zero across metro Denver.  Temperatures were below zero for a total of 64 consecutive hours.  Low temperatures reached 25 degrees below zero on both the 11th and 12th.  The high temperature of 9 degrees below zero on the 11th was the coldest ever recorded at Stapleton Airport and equaled the record low maximum for the month first set on January 19…1883…in downtown Denver.  The high temperature on the 12th reached only 1 degree below zero.  On the 12th…an 18-year-old youth died of exposure from the extreme cold in Denver.  There were many losses and damage to property from frozen water systems…stalled cars…and over-burdened heating systems.  Light snow accompanied the arctic blast. At Stapleton Airport…2.3 inches of snow fell on the 10th and 11th.

11 Continue reading January 10 to January 16: This week in Denver weather history →

January weather in Colorado can be as varied as during any month of the year.  Temperatures bordering on spring-like to bone chilling Arctic cold can be seen.  Snow of course plays a big part and while not always recognized as a big danger, high speed damaging winds are not unusual.

31-6

In 1973…the 31st marked the start of a protracted cold spell that extended into January of 1974 when temperatures dipped below zero on 7 consecutive days.  Record daily minimum readings occurred on the 3rd and 5th when the temperature plunged to 17 degrees below zero on both days. A record low daily maximum temperature of only 4 degrees occurred on the 5th.

31-7

In 1941…a protracted cold spell through January 7…1942… Produced below zero low temperatures on 7 of the 8 days. A low temperature of 2 degrees on the 3rd prevented a string of 8 days below zero.  The coldest days during the period were the 1st with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 9 degrees below zero…the 4th with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 11 degrees below zero…and the 5th with a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12 degrees below zero.

1-5

In 1940…the first days of the month were characterized by a mixture of drizzle…light snow…and fog.  Fog occurred on each day.  On the 4th and 5th considerable glazing resulted from freezing drizzle.  All objects were coated with a glaze on the windward side.  This resulted in very slippery streets…which caused several minor traffic accidents.  The glaze was not heavy enough to damage wires and cables.

2-3

In 1971…a major storm dumped a total of 8.4 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph.

In 1972…a strong cold front late on the 2nd produced north wind gusts to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Snow…heavy at times on the 3rd…totaled 6.4 inches as temperatures hovered only in the single digits.

In 2000…heavy snow fell over the higher terrain of the palmer divide to the south of metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 7 inches 5 miles southwest of Sedalia.  Only 1.5 inches of snowfall were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

2-4

In 1949…the worst blizzard in many years struck metro Denver and all of northern Colorado.  The storm produced blizzard conditions with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph all day on the 3rd when temperatures were only in the single digits.  This resulted in extremely cold wind chill temperatures of 40 to 55 degrees below zero.  Stapleton Airport received 13.3 inches of snow from the storm… While downtown Denver received 11.8 inches.  The snow fell for 51 consecutive hours downtown.  Numerous lives were lost…and livestock losses were high across the northeastern plains of Colorado where extensive airlift operations were needed to bring supplies and food to isolated communities.

2-5

In 1959…very cold temperatures…to near zero and below…caused power and gas lines…water pipes…and automatic sprinkler systems to break.  In Boulder… Merchandise and furnishings were water damaged when pipes burst in a department store…flooding three floors.  The temperature was below zero for 38 consecutive hours at Stapleton Airport on the 2nd…3rd…and 4th and plunged to a low of 13 degrees below zero on the 4th.

3

In 1874…heavy snowfall totaled 6 inches with 5 inches falling in 3 hours.  Melted snow totaled 0.40 inches of precipitation.  Northeast winds were sustained to 24 mph.

In 1887…west winds were sustained to 44 mph in the city.

In 1913…northwest Chinook winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 52 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees.  The low temperature was only 40 degrees.

In 1951…northwest winds gusted to 56 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1967…a strong Chinook wind reached 90 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.  In downtown Boulder winds only gusted to 35 mph.  Northwest winds gusting to 49 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1986…winds gusted to 63 mph at Jefferson County airport near Broomfield and reached 73 mph at Echo Lake in the foothills west of Denver.  West winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1994…high winds raked the eastern foothills.  Wind gusts to 99 mph were recorded on Squaw Mountain…south of Idaho Springs…and gusts to 85 mph occurred at the rocky flats facility in northwest Jefferson County.  Northwest winds gusted to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport.  No significant damage was reported.

In 1996…very strong Chinook winds gusting to 104 mph blasted the Front Range foothills and portions of metro Denver. Three people were injured in separate incidents.  One man was injured when strong crosswinds toppled his moving van into oncoming traffic along Colorado 93 south of Boulder. Two other people received minor injuries from flying debris. At the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility…eleven hazardous waste storage facilities received at least 100 thousand dollars in damage.  In addition…several power lines were downed leaving 3 thousand homes and stores without power.  Hundreds of car windows were shattered…and several signs were toppled from buildings.  Some of the strongest wind gusts included:  104 mph at Boulder municipal airport…98 mph in south Boulder…96 mph at Jefferson County airport…94 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research southwest of Boulder…91 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility…and 90 mph at Wondervu southwest of Boulder.  West-northwest winds gusted to only 39 mph at Denver International Airport where the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.

In 2004…bands of heavy snow fell across metro Denver. Snowfall totals included 6.5 inches in Broomfield and 6 inches in Westminster…Arvada…and near Hudson.  Only 0.5 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.  More snow fell in the foothills with 9 inches recorded near Jamestown.  Southeast winds gusted to 25 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2006…locally high winds developed in northern Jefferson County over and near rocky flats.  Peak wind gusts from 75 to 91 mph were recorded during the afternoon.  A semi-trailer truck was blown onto its side on State Highway 93 atop rocky flats.  Strong winds also spread across metro Denver.  West winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International Airport.

3-4

In 1982…wind gusting to 85 mph in the Table Mesa area of Boulder caused a few power failures.  West winds gusted to only 32 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2000…high winds buffeted the foothills of Boulder County. Wind gusts were reported to 91 mph at Nederland and 81 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa southwest of Boulder.  Southwest winds gusted to only 31 mph at Denver International Airport on the 4th.

3-5

In 2017…the first in a series of powerful winter storms brought a period of heavy snow to the north central mountains… Front Range Foothills and Urban Corridor. In the mountains and foothills…the heaviest snowfall occurred along and north of the Interstate 70 corridor. Storm totals ranged from one to around three feet. Eastbound I-70 was closed at Vail and Silverthorne because of poor conditions and several spun-out vehicles. Across the Interstate 25 corridor…heavy snow fell over northern parts of metro Denver north to Loveland. At Denver International Airport…145 flights were canceled. Storm totals in the mountains and foothills included: 19.7 inches 5 miles northeast of Ward…18 inches…17 inches near Brainard Lake and Copeland Lakes; 16 inches…5 miles east-northeast of Nederland and Niwot Ridge SNOTEL; 15.7 inches at Eldora… 14.5 inches at Berthoud Pass; 14 inches at Allenspark and 12 inches at Gross Reservoir. Along the I-25 Corridor…storm totals included: 13.8 inches in Boulder…12 inches at Marston Reservoir…9.5 inches in Niwot…9 inches at Flatiron Reservoir… 8.3 inches in Northglenn; 8 inches at Hygiene…7 inches in Arvada…5 miles west-northwest of Brighton…Frederick… Lafayette…Loveland and 5 miles northeast of Westminster; with 6.5 inches at Ralston Reservoir and Wheat Ridge. At Denver International Airport…there was a mix of rain and snow with only 0.10 inches of snowfall observed on the morning of the 4th.

Continue reading January 3 to January 9: This week in Denver weather history →