The end of January and the first week of February have historically been an active period in Denver weather. We see many high wind events which are common this time of year as well as the usual snowstorms. Given the extreme cold we are set to experience this week, one event 22 years ago serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of cold. In 1989 one Arctic cold event turned deadly and dangerous.
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In 1888…a protracted warm spell lasted a week. Maximum temperatures ranged from 62 degrees on the 29th to an all time record high for the month of 76 degrees on the 27th. Daily record high temperatures of 76…69…and 71 occurred on the 27th…28th…and 30th respectively. Record high minimum temperatures of 47 and 34 occurred on the 26th and 27th.
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In 1951…a major storm dumped 10.1 inches of snowfall at Stapleton Airport. Most of the snow…8.3 inches…fell on the 29th. Cold arctic air accompanied the snow. Several temperature records were set…including record low maximum temperatures of 4 on the 28th and 4 below zero on the 29th and record low temperatures of 12 below zero on the 29th and 24 below zero on the 31st. Temperatures were below zero for 45 consecutive hours.
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In 1887…winds were strong and gusty for three days in the city. West and northwest winds were sustained to 56 mph on both the 28th and 29th and to 44 mph on the 30th. Temperatures warmed to a high of 57 degrees on the 29th.
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In 1985…an arctic air mass with snow closed I-70 for a time in Denver and east of Denver. Snowfall totaled 5.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 29 mph on the 29th.
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In 1883…a major winter storm dumped 19.3 inches of snow on downtown Denver. Most of the snow…12.2 inches…fell on the 31st. This was the heaviest snowfall to hit the city in years. Temperatures plunged from a high of 52 degrees on the 29th to a low of 13 degrees on the 31st. Precipitation from the storm totaled 2.23 inches. The 1.22 inches of precipitation on the 31st was the greatest calendar day and 24 hour precipitation ever recorded in the city during the month of January.
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In 1886…west winds were sustained to 42 mph and were the strongest winds of the month that year. The winds warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees in the city.
In 1890…west winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph in the city.
In 1971…a wind gust to 102 mph was recorded in Boulder at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Elsewhere in Boulder…winds gusted to 76 mph. Northwest winds gusting to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport warmed temperatures to a high of 66 degrees.
In 1976…a rapid moving cold front produced wind gusts 50 to 70 mph causing visibilities to be reduced to less than 1/2 mile in blowing dust for 1 to 2 hours closing some major highways. A north wind gust to 55 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2003…strong winds developed in and near the foothills. Recorded wind gusts included: 86 mph near Rollinsville… 76 mph in Evergreen…and 75 mph in central Boulder. West winds gusted to 43 mph at Denver International Airport.
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In 1908…an apparent strong cold front plunged temperatures 45 degrees in 24 hours from 47 degrees at noon on the 30th to only 2 degrees at noon on the 31st. North winds were sustained to 30 mph on the 30th. Snowfall was only 0.8 inch on the 31st.
In 1965…a major storm dumped 10.4 inches of snow over metro Denver. After 5 inches of snow fell in Boulder… Strong Chinook winds developed…warming the temperature 25 degrees in 90 minutes. Wind gusts to 97 mph were recorded on Table Mountain in Boulder. Winds gusts to 53 mph were measured in downtown Boulder where some damage occurred. Minor wind damage also occurred in western suburbs of Denver. West winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 31st.
In 2005…a winter storm brought heavy snow to the Front Range foothills. Storm totals included: 17 inches at Aspen Springs…13 inches 7 miles southwest of Boulder and at Lake Eldora…12.5 inches near Blackhawk…11.5 inches at Rollinsville and near Nederland…11 inches near Evergreen and Golden and at Gross Reservoir…and 10 inches at cabin creek. Lesser amounts of snow fell over the city. Only 1.9 inches of snow were measured overnight at Denver Stapleton. North winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport…where freezing fog during the early morning of the 30th reduced the surface visibility to as low as 1/8 mile. Light rainfall… Rare in January…totaled 0.06 inch at Denver Stapleton on the early morning of the 30th.
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In 1985…a cold front on the 29th produced a protracted cold spell as arctic air remained entrenched across metro Denver. While the only daily temperature record set was a low maximum reading of 2 degrees on February 3rd…minimum temperatures plunged well below zero on 9 consecutive days. The coldest readings were 15 degrees below zero on January 31st and 14 degrees below zero on February 5th.
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In 1876…hurricane force winds caused some damage in Boulder.
In 1951…the low temperature plunged to 24 degrees below zero.
In 1933…snowfall was 0.2 inch in downtown Denver. This was the only measurable snowfall of the month and resulted in 0.01 inch of melted snow…the only measurable precipitation of the month.
In 1964…high winds blew down a sidewalk cover where a building was under construction…injuring a young woman. Three men were injured when a brick wall at a construction site toppled on them. All were treated for face…leg…and neck injuries. A west-northwest wind gust to 47 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1969…high winds struck Boulder with gusts to 115 mph recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and 83 mph in downtown Boulder. Schools were closed because of danger from flying debris. Some damage and minor injuries occurred. Northwest winds gusted to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1985…bitterly cold weather froze pipes and cars and forced some schools to close across metro Denver. Minimum temperatures dipped to as low as 15 below to 20 below zero across metro Denver. The low temperature was 15 below zero at Stapleton International Airport.
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In 1963…high winds struck metro Denver. The strong Chinook winds reached 101 mph in Littleton…80 mph in Denver…and 90 mph at Rocky Flats. Among the hardest hit areas were Boulder where buildings under construction were blown down…porches and roofs blown off buildings…and power lines damaged. Damage totaled 100 thousand dollars in Boulder alone. In other areas…utility lines were damaged and many signs…antennas…and road markers were blown down. At Stapleton Airport…west winds gusted to 44 mph on the 31st and 66 mph on the 1st. The Chinook winds warmed maximum temperatures to 65 degrees on the 31st and to 70 degrees on the 1st.
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In 1963…warm weather that began with the strong Chinook winds on the 31st and 1st continued through the 8th. Maximum temperatures through the period ranged from 52 degrees on the 2nd to 76 degrees on the 5th…which was a new record high for that date.
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In 1899…a protracted cold spell lasted almost two weeks. Low temperatures plunged below zero on all days but February 9th with a reading of 6 degrees. The coldest low temperature of 22 degrees below zero on February 6th was a record low for the date. Low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero occurred on both February 11th and 12th… But only the 11th remains as the record minimum for the date. High temperature of only 5 degrees below zero on February 11th was a record low maximum for the date. High temperatures climbed to only zero degrees on both February 2nd and 3rd…but were not records. Intermittent light snow or flurries fell during the period. The most snowfall…2.0 inches…occurred on February 2nd.
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In 1904…northwest winds were sustained to 51 mph with gusts to 60 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.
In 1907…west winds sustained to 42 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 59 degrees.
In 1932…the temperature rose from a low of 8 degrees at 7:00 am to the high of 58 degrees at 2:30 pm. The biggest jump occurred from 16 degrees at 8:00 am to 42 degrees at 9:10 am.
In 1951…the lowest recorded temperature in February…25 degrees below zero…occurred. The same temperature was also reached on February 8…1936.
In 1963…west-southwest winds gusted to 66 mph at Stapleton Airport where the strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a maximum of 70 degrees.
In 1970…snowfall of 0.3 inch contained only 0.01 inch of melted snow. This was the only measurable snow and precipitation for the month…making it the driest and least snowiest February on record. Snowfall also was only 0.3 inch on February 22-23…1992…equaling the least snowiest February.
In 1980…high winds occurred in the foothills. Wind gusts to 75 mph were reported at Wondervu. Northwest winds gusted to 32 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1995…a short blast of early morning winds near the foothills produced a gust to 64 mph at Rocky Flats in northern Jefferson County. Winds gusting to 59 mph in Lakewood downed a few tree branches in residential areas. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the warm winds kept the temperature from falling below 43 degrees…setting a new record high minimum for the date. The temperature climbed to a non-record high of 63 degrees.
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In 1934…light Chinook winds warmed temperatures to record levels on both days. Record maximum temperatures reached 73 degrees on the 1st and 74 degrees on the 2nd. West winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 1st.
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In 1996…cold arctic air plunged temperatures below zero for more than 35 consecutive hours from late on the 1st until sunrise on the 3rd. The temperature warmed to only 1 degree below zero on the 2nd after a record low of 16 degrees below zero.
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In 1985…the most bitter cold spell of the winter season brought sub-zero temperatures to metro Denver. Daily low temperature records were broken at Denver. The usual cold weather problems struck including stalled vehicles…jammed traffic lights…and frozen water and sewer lines. At Stapleton International Airport…the high temperature was only 2 degrees above zero on the 1st…setting a record low maximum for the date. Low temperatures reached 13 below zero on the 1st…12 below on the third…and 14 below on the 5th.
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In 1989…one of the century’s worst doses of winter weather ravaged the entire state. Bitterly frigid weather moved into metro Denver on the 1st as snow buried many sections of the state. In metro Denver where 3 to 6 inches of snow fell…blowing snow and resultant poor visibilities caused a 46-car pile-up on I-25 in the middle of the city on the 4th. During the period…2 to 3 hour delays were common at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall from the storm totaled 4.3 inches and northeast winds gusted to 30 mph on the 1st. Intense cold accompanied the storm. Temperatures in Denver stayed below zero continuously for the best part of 3 days (3rd…4th…5th)…for a total of 69 hours. This is the fourth longest sub-zero period on record. Wind chill temperatures reached 50 degrees below zero. The mercury dipped to 24 degrees below zero on the 5th…setting a record for the date. This was the city’s coldest temperature in over 26 years. Low temperatures dipped below zero on 8 consecutive days (2nd-9th). High temperature of 9 degrees below zero on the 4th was a record low maximum for the date…as was the high of 5 degrees on the 5th. Extensive damage occurred when pipes and water lines froze and broke. Thousands of cars failed to start. On the 3rd…a 57-year-old woman died of hypothermia in an Arvada park. Eighteen high school students were treated for hypothermia after a 2-hour ride through Jefferson County in an unheated bus. At least 2 cases of frostbite were reported; there were undoubtedly many more.
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In 1883…a protracted cold period occurred when low temperatures dipped below zero for 9 consecutive days. Low temperatures ranged from 22 degrees below zero on the 4th to 2 degrees below zero on the 1st and 6th. High temperatures ranged from 10 below zero on the 3rd to 23 on the 9th. Several temperature records were set that still stand today. Record lows of 18 below and 22 below zero occurred on the 3rd and 4th. Record low maximum readings of 2 below and 10 below zero occurred on the 2nd and 3rd. The high of only 10 below zero on the 3rd is the coldest maximum temperature ever recorded in Denver.
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In 1890…west winds were sustained to 44 mph with an extreme velocity of 45 mph. The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 66 degrees.
In 1970…high winds caused scattered damage along the foothills from Golden north. A garage in Boulder was demolished. Broken windows and roof damage were reported in Golden. Wind gusts from 60 to 100 mph were recorded in Boulder.
In 1990…a narrow band of heavy snow fell in the foothills southwest of Denver. Up to 6 inches piled up at Waterton Canyon with 5 inches around the town of Deermont…both along the South Platte River in Jefferson County. Snowfall was only 1.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 30 mph.
In 1995…the second morning in a row of strong winds raged in the foothills and adjacent lower elevations. Winds gusted between 70 and 85 mph in the foothills and 45 to 50 mph on the plains. A tree was blown onto high voltage power lines in a west Denver suburb. The fence that the wire landed on caught fire…but did no damage to the surrounding structures. A southwest Denver man was injured when a wind gust blew him and the front door he was holding off a porch. West winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport. The strongest winds occurred in Georgetown where a gust to 100 mph overturned a pick-up truck camper on I-70. The driver sustained only minor injuries.
In 2001…high winds developed briefly in the Front Range foothills. A spotter at Georgetown lake measured a peak wind gust to 90 mph.
In 2008…lightning struck a home in Englewood during an electrically charged snowstorm. A gas meter at the home was hit by lightning and burst into flames. The unusual thunderstorm produced a combination of snow and graupel. The graupel was up to one half inch in diameter. Total snow accumulations ranged from 1 to 4 inches across the southern Denver suburbs. Snowfall was only 0.6 inch at the former Stapleton International Airport.
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In 1894…6.2 inches of heavy snowfall were measured over downtown Denver. East winds gusted to 25 mph on the 2nd.
In 1999…a powerful Chinook windstorm struck the foothills and adjacent plains. Several locations registered wind gusts in excess of 100 mph…including: 127 mph atop Sugarloaf Mountain…120 mph at Lafayette…119 mph at Wondervu…104 mph at Coal Creek…103 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility and 100 mph in Louisville. The damage associated with the windstorm was extensive. Thirty 70-foot-tall power poles were damaged… Including several that supported high voltage lines transmitting electricity directly from generating plants. The combination of downed power poles…power lines…and trees resulted in outages for about 10 thousand residents. In Lafayette…power poles were sheared off for a mile and a quarter. The power outages primarily affected residents in Boulder…Broomfield…Lafayette…Louisville… and Fort Lupton. In addition to the outages…high winds ripped apart several roofs in Boulder…including the roof of the Boulder County jail. At Jefferson County Airport… Several planes were overturned and some hangars damaged or destroyed. Damage to the airport alone was estimated at 100 thousand dollars. In southern Jefferson County… Localized ground blizzards reduced visibilities in blowing snow to less than 20 feet along U.S. Highway 285…resulting in several accidents. In pine junction a downed tree damaged a nearby residence…when it crashed onto the roof. In Bailey…a downed tree crushed a vehicle parked in the resident’s driveway. Total damage estimates for the windstorm reached 3 million dollars…making it the fourth costliest on record at the time in Colorado. Other peak wind gusts include: 97 mph at Boulder…93 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research mesa lab in Boulder… 88 mph at Nederland…86 mph at Aspen Springs…and 83 mph at Blue Mountain near Coal Creek Canyon. West to northwest winds gusted as high as 46 mph at Denver International Airport.
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In 1883…the lowest daily maximum temperature ever recorded in Denver…10 degrees below zero…occurred.
In 1885…a windstorm occurred from late morning through the late afternoon. Northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph in the city.
In 1888…a trace of light rain fell in downtown Denver. Rain is relatively rare this early in the month.
In 1924…northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph. These were the strongest winds of the month that year.
In 1932…a major storm dumped 7.5 inches of snow in downtown Denver where northwest winds gusted to 23 mph. Boulder received 9 inches of snow from the storm.
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In 1906…northeast winds were sustained to 43 mph behind a cold front on the 3rd. The front plunged temperatures from a high of 62 degrees on the 3rd to a low of 24 degrees…which was also the high reading on the 4th. The low temperature on the 4th was only 3 degrees. Snowfall was only 0.6 inch on the 4th.
In 1970…a wind gust to 115 mph was recorded in Boulder at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts as high as 62 mph were measured in downtown Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 47 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 3rd.
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In 1982…a cold surge of arctic air brought light snow and sub-zero temperatures to metro Denver. Temperatures plunged to 6 below zero at midnight on the 3rd and never warmed above zero on the 4th as snow flurries continued. High temperature on the 4th of 1 below zero was a record low maximum. The temperature dipped to a record low of 15 below zero on the 5th.
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In 1883…the temperature plunged to a low of 22 degrees below zero.
In 1885…a windstorm occurred in the city during the afternoon and early evening. West winds sustained to 64 mph blew down several trees…chimneys…awnings… And sheds. Stronger winds in the foothills blew a train from the track at Georgetown…injuring several passengers.
In 1890…the highest recorded temperature in February… 77 degrees…occurred. This temperature was equaled on February 28…2006.
In 1898…west winds were sustained to 53 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
In 1915…very strong northwest winds whipped downtown Denver nearly all day. There were 13 consecutive hours with maximum sustained velocities ranging from 27 to 44 mph. An extreme velocity to 46 mph was recorded.
In 1952…a northwest wind gust to 48 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport. Severe winds were reported west and north of Denver.
In 1995…high winds developed in the foothills west and northwest of Denver. A gust to 97 mph was recorded on Squaw Mountain. Winds were clocked to 83 mph at Rollinsville. Wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph were common. North winds gusted to only 31 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
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In 1932…wind gusts estimated at 70 mph occurred in Boulder. A 60 mph wind gust was recorded to the east of Boulder in Valmont. Damage was minor.
In 1959…heavy snowfall totaled 5.8 inches at Stapleton Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 4th.
In 2001…high winds developed for a brief time overnight. Winds gusted to 75 mph atop the Gamow Tower on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. Northwest winds gusting to 37 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees at Denver International Airport.
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In 1986…10 inches of snow fell in Boulder…in the foothill town of Wondervu southwest of Boulder…and at Evergreen west of Denver. Snowfall totaled 2.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where north winds gusted to 20 mph on the 6th.
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In 1885…west winds were sustained to 42 mph in the city near daybreak.
In 1902…northwest winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 53 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 53 degrees.
In 2006…high winds developed briefly along the foothills… Extending from Golden to near Boulder. Peak wind reports included 92 mph at the National Wind Technology Center on Rocky Flats with a gust to 84 mph in Golden. North winds gusted to 43 mph at Denver International Airport.
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In 2003…heavy snow fell in the foothills. Snowfall totals included: 17 inches at Genesee; 16 inches at Lookout Mountain; 11 inches at Chief Hosa near indian hills…and 7 miles southwest of Boulder; 10.5 inches atop gold hill; and 10 inches at Intercanyon and near Conifer. Only 2.2 inches of snowfall were measured in the city at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
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In 1978…the 5th marked the start of a record 7 consecutive days of dense fog at Stapleton International Airport. The heavy fog reduced the visibility to 1/4 mile or less for a period of time on each of these days. Light snow and/or freezing drizzle occurred on most days. Fog reducing visibility to less than 7 miles was recorded at Stapleton International Airport on 11 consecutive days through the 15th. During the period 5-14…the cold thick fog deposited heavy rime ice up to 5 inches thick on power lines and poles over a wide area of eastern Colorado…causing a major electrical power outage disaster.