March 29 - April 4 - This week in Denver weather history.
This week in Denver weather history is notable for the variety of conditions that can be experienced this time of year. From hurricane force winds and heavy snow to more typical spring severe weather like tornadoes, all can be experienced this time of year.
IN 1948…HIGH WINDS RAKED BOULDER. A WIND GUST TO 75 MPH WAS RECORDED AT VALMONT. SUSTAINED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 35 MPH WERE ESTIMATED IN BOULDER. MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1961…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.5 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT OVER THE 3 DAY PERIOD. MOST OF THE SNOW…5.3 INCHES…FELL ON THE 28TH. WINDS WERE GENERALLY LIGHT AND GUSTED TO ONLY 22 MPH FROM THE NORTH.
28-29 IN 1891…RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW AND TOTALED 9.7 INCHES IN THE CITY. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 12 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 28 MPH ON THE 28TH.
IN 1910…A STRONG COLD FRONT BROUGHT MUCH WIND…RAIN…AND AND SNOW TO THE CITY. RAIN ON THE 28TH CHANGED TO SNOW EARLY ON THE 29TH. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 2.8 INCHES…BUT NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 50 MPH ON THE 29TH. PRECIPITATION FROM THE STORM TOTALED 0.96 INCH.
IN 1994…MOIST UPSLOPE WINDS COMBINED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM TO DUMP 5 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW ALONG THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS AND ACROSS METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.3 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 39 MPH. THIRTEEN INCHES OF NEW SNOW WERE MEASURED AT THE ELDORA SKI AREA WEST OF BOULDER.
28-30
IN 1949…A MAJOR WINTER STORM DUMPED 11.3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 10.4 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 17 MPH.
March 22 - March 28 - This week in Denver weather history.
This week in Denver weather history are a number of interesting events. As March comes to a close we are not yet done with winter so snow is certainly still possible but we also start seeing more Spring-like weather. Reminders of this include the coldest temperature ever recorded in March – 11 degrees below zero 123 years ago. Conversely, 38 years ago the highest temperature ever recorded in March of 84 degrees was recorded.
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.
21-22
In 1955…wind gusts to 98 mph were recorded at rocky flats south of Boulder. Some damage and a few minor injuries were reported in Boulder. Northwest winds were sustained to 28 mph with gusts to 39 mph at Stapleton Airport on the 22nd.
In 1966…a vigorous cold front produced only 1.7 inches of snowfall at Stapleton International Airport…but northeast winds gusted to 49 mph on the 21st. Temperatures cooled from a maximum of 66 degrees on the 21st to a minimum of 14 degrees on the 22nd. Strong winds occurred on both days.
In 1992…an arctic cold front produced upslope snow across metro Denver mainly west of I-25. Castle Rock reported 6 inches of snow with 3 inches at Evergreen. At Stapleton International Airport…only 1.5 inches of snowfall were measured and northeast winds gusted to 18 mph on the 21st.
February 22 to February 28 - This week in Denver weather history.
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history contains much of what you would expect to see this time of year – high winds, snow storms, and cold but also a rare February thunderstorm.
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.
22-23
IN 1985…A SNOWSTORM STRUCK THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS WITH 8 TO 15 INCHES OF NEW SNOW. THREE TO 7 INCHES OF NEW SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER AND PARTS OF I-70 WERE CLOSED AT TIMES. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 3.3 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS TO 29 MPH WERE RECORDED.
IN 1992…A SNOW STORM DUMPED HEAVY SNOW IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. CONIFER RECEIVED 12 INCHES OF NEW SNOW WITH 7.5 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS. SNOW ONLY DUSTED THE PLAINS AND METRO DENVER…BUT WINDS WERE STRONG WITH A GUST TO 43 MPH FROM THE NORTH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 0.3 INCH. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OF THE MONTH…EQUALING THE RECORD FOR THE LEAST SNOWIEST FEBRUARY FIRST SET IN 1970. RARE THUNDER FOR FEBRUARY ACCOMPANIED THE SNOW DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THE 23RD.
IN 1999…STRONG CHINOOK WINDS DEVELOPED ON A VERY LOCALIZED SCALE OVERNIGHT IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHERN JEFFERSON AND SOUTHERN BOULDER COUNTIES. PEAK WIND REPORTS INCLUDED: 82 MPH AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY…80 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH MESA LAB IN BOULDER…77 MPH NEAR NEDERLAND…AND 75 MPH ATOP THE GAMOW TOWER ON THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CAMPUS IN BOULDER.
February 15 to February 21 - This week in Denver weather history.
Wind, wind and more wind. Sounding like a broken record, we see that mentioned many times in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. There is of course other common weather conditions for this time of year including blizzards and arctic cold.
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.
15
IN 1881…THE TEMPERATURE PLUNGED TO A LOW OF 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO IN THE CITY. IN OUTER AREAS OF THE CITY…THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 26.5 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
IN 1910…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH.
IN 1986…HIGH WINDS BATTERED THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. A WIND GUST TO 95 MPH WAS RECORDED IN BOULDER…BUT WINDS OF 60 TO 80 MPH WERE COMMON IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS. IN AURORA…AN AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP LOST A LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW. SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS TO 44 MPH WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE STRONG WINDS WARMED TEMPERATURES. A RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 66 DEGREES AND A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 37 DEGREES WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
February 8 to February 14 - This week in Denver weather history.
Our look back at this week in Denver weather history contains many of the severe weather conditions we would expect to see – high speed winds, arctic cold, big time snowstorms, etc. Most notable is the coldest February temperature ever recorded – 25 degrees below zero.
31-8
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.
31-12
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.
1-9
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.
5-11
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.
The biggest sporting event of the year is of course the Super Bowl and no doubt this year’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals is sure to be no different. Super Bowl XLIII will be held in Tampa Bay, Florida and the weather forecast is looking to be just about perfect – see our game day forecast below.
What about Super Bowl’s in the past? Was there ever any notable weather during the big game? You bet there was. Here are some fun facts (courtesy wx-man.com):
17 of 42 Super Bowls played indoors
16 of 42 Super Bowls had a trace or more of rain nearby
2 Super Bowls had snow on game day (1982,2006)
1 Super Bowl played during an ice storm (2000)
Warmest high temperature of 82° (1973,2003)
Coldest high temp for dome game 16° (1982)
Coldest high temp for non-dome game 49° (1985)
Wettest Super Bowl .92 inches (2007)
Outside games with high wind gust (1980, 1984, 1989,2007)
You will notice there isn’t really any mention of severe weather in those statistics. The NFL has been pretty fortunate on that front with nothing particularly notable – rain always seems to be the biggest threat.
For a more in depth look at severe weather in February in Florida, the Super Bowl forecast and some interesting tornado statistics, please visit our Examiner.com story.
Denver officially broke the record high temperature for January 21st, reaching 71 degrees.
It’s official. As reported earlier this morning on our Examiner.com pages, we had a decent shot at breaking the all time record high temperature for this date and we have done it. At 1:28pm today the temperature at Denver International Airport reached 71 degrees, breaking the old record of 70 degrees set in 1950. Here in Thoronton we didn’t get quite that warm, “only” reaching a high of 69 degrees.
Thursday we will be a bit cooler and “only” reach 65 degrees – still 20 degrees above normal though. Enjoy the next 36 hours or so though as Friday bring change – see our Examiner.com morning forecast here for details.
Get more local news and weather information on Examiner.com.
December 14 - 20 - This week in Denver weather history.
Our look back in Denver weather history for this week is punctuated by hurricane force winds – numerous times. Some of these storms reached 120 mph, overturned semis, ripped roofs off and more. Also notable is the blizzard we suffered through two years ago this week.
In 1939…more than 2 weeks of unseasonably warm weather made the month the 3rd warmest on record. Seven daily temperature records were set…including the all time record high temperature for the month of 79 degrees on the 5th. Daytime highs were balmy with 14 days in the 60’s and 70’s. Low temperatures dipped to freezing or below on only 5 days. The period was dry with only a trace of snow on the 12th.
3-15
In 1972…a protracted cold spell held an icy grip on metro Denver when maximum temperatures never reached above freezing for 10 consecutive days from the 3rd through the 12th and minimum temperatures dipped below zero on eleven consecutive days from the 5th through the 15th. Daily low temperature records were set with 15 degrees below zero on the 5th…17 degrees below zero on the 6th… And 18 degrees below zero on the 10th. Daily record low maximum readings were set with 3 degrees on the 6th and 6 degrees on the 9th. The very cold temperatures were caused by 3 to 5 inches of snow cover and a Canadian air mass.
IN 1939…MORE THAN 2 WEEKS OF UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER MADE THE MONTH THE 3RD WARMEST ON RECORD. SEVEN DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET…INCLUDING THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 79 DEGREES ON THE 5TH. DAYTIME HIGHS WERE BALMY WITH 14 DAYS IN THE 60`S AND 70`S. LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED TO FREEZING OR BELOW ON ONLY 5 DAYS. THE PERIOD WAS DRY WITH ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE 12TH.
3-15
IN 1972…A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL HELD AN ICY GRIP ON METRO DENVER WHEN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES NEVER REACHED ABOVE FREEZING FOR 10 CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM THE 3RD THROUGH THE 12TH AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DIPPED BELOW ZERO ON ELEVEN CONSECUTIVE DAYS FROM THE 5TH THROUGH THE 15TH. DAILY LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET WITH 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 5TH…17 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 6TH… AND 18 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 10TH. DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM READINGS WERE SET WITH 3 DEGREES ON THE 6TH AND 6 DEGREES ON THE 9TH. THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WERE CAUSED BY 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW COVER AND A CANADIAN AIR MASS.
5-7
IN 1978…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED HEAVY SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER. AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.5 INCHES…NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 46 MPH…AND TEMPERATURES PLUNGED FROM A HIGH OF 49 DEGREES ON THE 5TH TO A LOW OF ONLY 6 DEGREES ON THE 6TH. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 6 DEGREES ON THE 7TH WAS A NEW DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM READING. MOST OF THE SNOW…6.7 INCHES…FELL ON THE 5TH.
November 23 to 29 - This week in Denver weather history.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
645 PM MST SAT NOV 22 2008
…THIS WEEK IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY…
21-23
IN 1918…POST-FRONTAL SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.9 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN
DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…5.3 INCHES…FELL ON THE 22ND.
NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 20 MPH ON THE 21ST.
IN 1931…A MAJOR STORM DUMPED A TOTAL OF 13.2 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…11.4
INCHES…FELL ON THE 21ST. A VERY COLD AIR MASS SETTLED
OVER THE CITY AFTER THE HEAVY SNOW ON THE 21ST. AFTER A
LOW TEMPERATURE OF ZERO…THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO A HIGH
OF ONLY 5 DEGREES ON THE 22ND…A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE
DATE.
21-25
IN 1952…SNOWFALL OF 6.2 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 17 MPH ON THE
21ST.
