This week in Denver weather history - October 5th to October 11th
In our weekly look back at Denver weather history, we see a wide range of weather has occurred in the past. From thunderstorms to rain to big time snowstorms, we can and have seen it all.
3-5 IN 1984…THE REMNANTS OF PACIFIC HURRICANE POLO PRODUCED
HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. MOST LOCATIONS
RECEIVED BETWEEN 1.00 TO 2.50 INCHES OF RAIN…BUT 3.45
INCHES FELL IN LITTLETON. RAINFALL TOTALED 1.73 INCHES
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…WHERE NORTH WINDS
GUSTED TO 24 MPH.
4-5 IN 1997…UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER RESULTED IN TWO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS. HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 87 DEGREES ON THE 4TH EXCEEDED
THE OLD RECORD SET IN 1922 BY ONE DEGREE. HIGH TEMPERATURE
OF 86 DEGREES ON THE 5TH EQUALED THE RECORD SET IN 1990 AND
PREVIOUS YEARS.
Just announced! The Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers second season will premiere on Sunday, October 19th. For those that haven’t seen this show before, it is absolutely incredible as you follow a group of chasers trying to – literally – drive into a tornado. As you know, the 2008 tornado season was one for the record books and the Storm Chasers team was right in the thick of it. I will be watching with great interest as they spent a lot of time in north central Kansas right where my family is from.
ThorntonWeather.com's picks for the best drives to view the fall foliage.
This time of year many folks head to the hills west of Denver in search of gold – fall foliage gold. This year thanks to the warm and dry weather, the season is running longer and a bit later than normal so this coming weekend looks to be a great one to get out and go for a drive in the mountains. Where to go? Below are five of ThorntonWeather.com’s favorite ones near Denver. After that, we will tell you where you can find a great website that provides regular updates on viewing conditions.
I-70 Corridor – If you’re looking for the easiest route, then this one is for you. Simply head west on I-70 about 110 miles to Avon. Between Vail and Avon, both sides of I-70 are lined beautifully with aspen.
Rocky Mountain National Park – One of the most popular summer destinations in the state is of course also a prime spot to view aspen in all their glory. Once in the park on Trail Ridge Road, head toward Bear Lake. Glacier Gorge Junction provides a beautiful spot and you of course also get to enjoy all the splendor that Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer.
Peak to Peak Highway – This little road trip can be a dual purpose trip – gambling and fall foliage viewing! Take U.S. 6 through Clear Creek Canyon and then 119 through Blackhawk and Central Center. You can of course stop there if your wallet is fat enough and donate some money to the casinos. From there continue on 119 toward Nederland. Take highway 72 toward Ward and Allenspark. There you will find more golden aspen than you can imagine, all with the Continental Divide nearby.
Poudre Valley Canyon – Heading north on I-25 take Colorado 14 west and into Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest. As you continue west you will come very near timberline as you come to Cameron Pass. Amazing views abound!
Guanella Pass – This is a nice, relatively short drive from Denver. From C470 take 85 through Bailey and Conifer, a nice drive unto itself. When you come to the town of Grant, take the Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway north to Georgetown. The air is pretty thin along the way as you climb in excess of 11,500 views through the Pike and Arapahoe National Forests. Fair warning – about 10 miles of the road is gravel but it is well maintained.
So do you think you will try one of these drives? Or maybe one of the other dozens (hundreds?) that are possible? Before you go, be sure to check out the U.S. Forest Service’s Fall Colors website! It provides weekly updates on viewing conditions throughout the Rocky Mountain region and is a great resource to plan your trip. The site is usually updated once a week on Fridays. Click here to view the Rocky Mountain Region 2008 Fall Color Report.
As part of a special “Best of” series on Examiner.com, I recently penned an article about what was one of the most significant storms in Denver history – the 1982 Christmas Eve blizzard. It is republished here as I thought everyone might like to check it out:
Looking back through history, Denver and Colorado have had some extraordinary weather stories. When looking to pick a “best” or most significant weather event, reaching far back into the history books one might choose the Georgetown blizzard of 1913 which dumped an astonishing 86 inches of snow or perhaps the Big Thompson Flood of 1976 which claimed 145 lives. More recently, there were the holiday storms of 2006 or the Windsor tornadoes from 2007. But, there is one storm that historically stands out not only because of its severity in terms of the weather but also because of the long lasting impact it caused in Denver and Colorado which is still being felt today – the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982. For those of you that didn’t live in Colorado then or are too young to remember, a trip through the history books shows why this storm was so significant. Those that do remember it have memories that will last a lifetime.
As part of a special “Best of” series on