Denver recorded a record low temperature on the morning of April 23, the fifth cold temperature record of the month that has been tied or broken.
Just before midnight last night the mercury dropped to 21 degrees at Denver International Airport setting a record low temperature for the date of April 22. The breaks the previous record for the date of 22 degrees set 139 years ago in 1874.
Here in Thornton we couldn’t quite match that with a low temperature yesterday of 22.6 degrees.
Illustrating just how cold it was, the average low temperature for both yesterday’s and today’s date is 35 degrees. To date Denver’s average temperature during the month of April is an amazing 7.5 degrees below average.
This record is the fifth cold temperature weather record set or tied this month. Record low temperatures have previously been recorded on April 9, April 10 and April 16. Also, a record low maximum was measured on April 9.
April 21 to April 27: This Week in Denver Weather History
While significant snow events become less frequent this time of year, our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows that they can still occur even toward the end of April. Thrown into the mix is a variety of spring severe weather including tornadoes and deadly lightning.
From the National Weather Service:
19-21
In 1984…a large snowstorm buried most of Colorado under a thick mantle of wet snow. Total snow amounts ranged from 10 to 20 inches across metro Denver and a whopping 20 to 40 inches in the adjacent foothills. The snow closed roads and damaged electrical transformers…causing numerous power outages. Nearly 14 inches (13.6) of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where the combination of snow and wind closed all but one runway…resulting in the cancellation of many flights. Both I-70 and I-76 were closed to the east of Denver.
19-22
In 1933…a major storm dumped 16.8 inches of snowfall over downtown Denver when rain changed to snow during the early morning of the 20th and continued through midday of the 22nd. Most of the snow fell on the 21st. Due to melting… The most snow on the ground was 10.5 inches at 6:00 pm on the 21st. Before the snow started…a strong cold front on the evening of the 19th produced north winds sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 37 mph. The strong winds deposited a thin layer of dust on the city. North to northwest winds were sustained to 31 mph with gusts to 35 mph on the 20th and to 29 mph with gusts to 32 mph on the 21st.
20-22
In 1957…strong and gusty south to southeast winds raked metro Denver each day. The strongest wind gust of 55 mph occurred on the 21st when blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 3/4 mile at Stapleton Airport.
20-23
In 1989…unusually warm weather resulted in several daily temperature records being broken in Denver. The high temperature of 89 degrees on the 21st exceeded the record maximum for the month at that time. Daily record high temperatures were either exceeded or equaled with 83 degrees on the 20th…88 degrees on the 22nd…and 85 degrees on the 23rd. The low temperature of 55 degrees on the 22nd equaled the record high minimum for the date.
21
In 1885…rain changed to snow during the early morning and was the heaviest snow of the season. Total snowfall was estimated at 8.0 inches over downtown Denver…but the snow melted rapidly on the ground as it fell. However… The weight of the snow…as well as northwest winds sustained to 29 mph downed telegraph and telephone wires. Several large branches of trees were also broken by the weight of the snow. Precipitation totaled 1.01 inches from the storm.
In 1887…west winds were sustained to 47 mph.
In 1932…the temperature dipped to a low of only 60 degrees… The all-time record high minimum for the month.
In 1988…a small tornado was observed by National Weather Service employees about 3 miles northwest of Thornton. It was on the ground for about 2 minutes. No damage was reported. Later…lightning struck two 14-year-old girls on a softball field in Westminster. One was killed…while the other suffered moderate injuries. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport behind a cold front.
In 2010…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…strong winds and a tornado across parts of Adams…Arapahoe… Elbert…and weld counties. The hail…up to 1.50 inches in diameter…came down so heavy along parts of I-70 and I-76 that snowplows had to be called out to remove it. Numerous vehicles were damaged by hail. In weld County…very heavy rain and hail accompanied thunderstorm winds up to 75 mph. Hail up to 1.50 inches was reported near Bennett; 1.25 inches…5.3 miles east of Englewood; 1.0 inch size hail near Buckley Field; with 0.88 inch size hail near Boulder. A weak tornado touched down briefly in Elbert County…about 9 miles southwest of Deer Trail…but did no damage. Several minor accidents were reported with snowpacked and slick road conditions along with very low visibilities. Minor street flooding was reported in southeast Aurora. Denver International Airport recorded 0.30 inches of rainfall. Also…a peak wind gust to 36 mph from the southeast was observed at the airport.
Mother Nature can be a fickle lady as we are now seeing. While the calendar says spring, she is quite content to visit wintry weather on us once again.
As expected a three-day long event is occurring that will bring heavy, wet snow to the area and winter-like temperatures. While not unusual for this time of year, it certainly has many longing for the delayed arrival of spring.
We will be monitoring monitoring the storm very closely and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
Denver set its fourth cold temperature record so far this month.
Our unseasonably cold April continues. Following a healthy show of snow yesterday temperatures dropped this morning to a low of 22 degrees as measured at Denver International Airport. This ties the record low for the date last set in 1999.
Here in Thornton we matched DIA’s number with a low of 22 degrees this morning. Both marks are far below the Denver low temperature average for April 16 of 33 degrees.
This is the fourth cold temperature related record set so far this month.
April 15, 2013 - Snow far exceeding forecast amounts made for a wintry tax day in Thornton. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Mother Nature delivered a potent blast of wintry weather for Tax Day catching forecasters and residents off guard. The mid-April snowstorm brought a hefty shot of snow and cold temperatures to Denver and northeastern Colorado.
Two days before the event models pointed to significant snowfall for Tax Day. Soon however those same models shifted their target to the north and the metro area was only expected to receive light snow.
The heavy snow moved further south than anticipated however and by mid-afternoon on Monday, April 15 the storm was getting started in earnest. Snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour were seen from then through midnight.
The video below captures 24 hours of the event from 6:00am on April 15 to 6:00am to April 16. Only light snow is seen through about 2:00pm on the 15th before things really start to pick up.
Heavy snow in early spring in Colorado is not unheard of by any means with six of Denver’s top 24 snowstorms having occurred during April. The snowstorm that struck the Mile High City however caught forecasters and…
April 9th and 10th brought Denver's first record low temperatures since October 10, 2009. Click the image for a larger view.
While April may normally be associated with showers, Mother Nature sometimes throws us a curveball. Such was the case with the bitter cold temperatures she delivered that broke records, one dating back more than 50 years ago.
Denver’s official temperature as measured at Denver International Airport dropped to 9 degrees just before midnight last night. This sets a new record low temperature for April 9, easily besting the previous record of 12 degrees set in 1959. Here in Thornton our low was 10.4 degrees.
Additionally, a new record low maximum temperature was recorded yesterday as well. The ‘high’ temperature was 22 degrees, recorded shortly after midnight. The previous record low maximum for April 9 was 27 degrees set in 1973. The 22 degree reading was the sixth coldest high temperature ever recorded in April. Thornton was slightly warmer with a high of 24.9 degrees.
As the cold front moved out, the chilly temperatures lingered into the morning of April 10. The mercury at DIA dropped to 6 degrees setting a new record low temperature for the date and making it the fourth coldest low temperature ever recorded in April. The previous record low for the date was 7 degrees set in 1959. In Thornton the temperature hit a low of 6.7 degrees right at 6:00am.
It is interesting to note that these are the first daily cold weather related records Denver has set in more than two years.
Old Man Winter isn’t done with Colorado yet. Monday brought unseasonably warm temperatures and a chance for thunderstorms. Monday night and into Tuesday we can expect a healthy shot of snow and some temperatures tomorrow more like we expect in January.
We will be monitoring monitoring the storm very closely and posting regularly to our Facebook page and Twitter feed. You can follow along in real time below. We are also on Google+ here.
As an early spring snowstorm hits northeastern Colorado with snow, bone chilling cold and wind, schools and businesses are closing for the day. Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Brighton 27J, Adams 50, Adams 14 and Mapleton School District are among those closed for the day.
April 7 to April 13: This Week in Denver Weather History
While the calendar may say spring, wintry weather can and often does appear and many times it has a big impact. We clearly see this in our look back at this week in weather history where wind and snow make many appearances.
From the National Weather Service:
4-7
In 1909…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow on the afternoon of the 4th and continued through mid-morning of the 7th. Total snowfall was 18.7 inches…but most of the snow…14.0 inches…fell from 6:00 pm on the 4th to 6:00 pm on the 5th. North to northeast winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 4th and to 30 mph on the 7th. Total precipitation from the storm was 1.78 inches.
5-7
In 1916…rain changed to snow behind a cold front on the 5th and totaled 4.5 inches in the city. A thunderstorm produced snow on the 6th. North winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 38 mph on the 7th.
6-7
In 1872…rain changed to snow overnight. Snow with high north winds continued all day on the 7th. Precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 0.50 inch. Due to problems on the lines…the morning weather report was not sent by telegraph until 3:10 pm and the midnight report was not sent at all.
In 1957…heavy snowfall totaled 6.6 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusted to 46 mph. This was the second heavy snow event in less than 4 days.
In 1969…winds gusting as high as 50 to 60 mph caused only light damage along the eastern foothills. The strong winds contributed to the spread of a forest fire near Boulder. Sustained winds of 25 mph with gusts to 53 mph were recorded in Boulder. Southwest winds gusted to 38 mph on the 6th and 44 mph on the 7th at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1980…high winds howled along the foothills each day. A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded in Lakewood. The strong winds blew a camper top off a pickup truck in Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 41 mph on both days.
In 1998…a spring storm brought a mix of snow and thunder to metro Denver…the foothills…and Palmer Divide. Conifer and Elizabeth both measured 4 inches of new snow. On the 6th…only 0.1 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where thunder was heard on both days. Precipitation totaled 0.60 inch at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 6th.
6-8
In 1973…a major spring snow storm dumped 11.6 inches of snowfall over metro Denver. North wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph produced some blowing snow. Most of the heavy wet snow… 10.1 inches…fell on the 7th when temperatures remained in the 20’s. Snow accumulated on the ground to a maximum depth of 9 inches. Low temperature of 5 degrees on the 8th was a new record minimum for the date and the lowest for so late in the season.
7
In 1906…north winds were sustained to 48 mph in the city.
In 1958…strong south winds blew most of the day across metro Denver. A wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.
In 1962…strong gusty winds associated with a cold front caused considerable damage to power lines…signs… Buildings…and trees across metro Denver. In Boulder…an outdoor movie screen…valued at 10 thousand dollars…was wrecked. In Denver…a youth was injured when a car was blown off a jack…pinning him underneath. Wind gusts to 61 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport where visibility was reduced to 1/2 mile in blowing dust. Snowfall totaled 2.6 inches at Stapleton Airport.
In 1971…wind gusts to 69 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder. In downtown Boulder…winds peaked to 54 mph. West winds gusted to 31 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1989…high winds occurred in the foothills west of Denver. At Nederland west of Boulder…high winds damaged roofs… Toppled trees…and caused power outages. Winds estimated as high as 90 mph in Georgetown overturned campers and even semi-trailers on I-70 and damaged road signs. Three trailer homes were blown off their foundations and a 50-foot tree toppled onto the roof of a home…causing considerable damage. Winds reached 94 mph at Rollinsville southwest of Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
Mother Nature can be a fickle lady as we are now seeing. While the calendar says spring, she is quite content to visit wintry weather on us once again.
