Northeastern Colorado received a much needed wallop of snow and the accompanying precipitation.
The heaviest snowfall was in the southern and western suburbs and foothills. In Thornton the storm was less generous but nevertheless welcome.
Pinecliffe west of Golden was the prize winner with nearly 22 inches of snow. Further to the south Conifer received 15 inches. In the metro area most snowfall totals were in the 6 to 10 inch range with the higher amounts to the south.
The interactive map below shows snowfall reports from National Weather Service storm spotters. You can double-click to zoom in or use the + / – buttons. Click and hold and then drag to pan the map around. Click on any ‘dot’ to see the report for that location.
Colorado’s snowpack continues to lag well below average but a potent winter storm should help alleviate the dry conditions and bring Denver its biggest snow of the season. Warnings have been issued and preparations are being made for…
February 17 to February 23: This Week in Denver Weather History
Staying true to its reputation as a relatively dry month, our look back at this week in Denver weather history doesn’t contain much in the way of snow. What it does have an abundance of however are powerful, damaging wind events.
From the National Weather Service:
15-17
In 1938…a cold air mass brought a light snowfall of 6.2 inches over 3 days to downtown Denver where northeast winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 15th.
16-17 in 1929…strong west winds gusting to 84 mph raked Boulder and Lafayette. Limited minor damage and a few injuries occurred.
In 1986…strong Chinook winds continued to howl in the foothills. A wind gust to 89 mph was recorded at Table Mesa in Boulder on the 16th. Winds of 60 to 75 mph were clocked at other locations in Boulder on both days. A west wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport on the 16th.
16-18
In 1970…a wind gust to 90 mph was recorded in Boulder at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. In downtown Boulder…sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 53 mph were measured. Damage was minor. West winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 17th. The strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to 70 degrees on the 16th and to 72 degrees on the 17th…both records for the date. The low temperature dipped to only 32 degrees on the 16th equaling the record high minimum for the date.
17
In 1887…west winds were sustained to 64 mph. Strong winds occurred all day long in the city. Rainfall was 0.02 inch.
In 1894…northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 46 mph.
In 1937…northwest winds sustained to 36 mph with gusts to 44 mph started a few minor fires and broke a number of plate-glass windows in downtown Denver office buildings.
In 1962…heavy snowfall totaled 7.5 inches at Stapleton Airport where the visibility was reduced to as low as 1/4 mile at times. Winds gusted from the northeast at only 15 mph.
In 2009…strong prefrontal wind gusts knocked down some trees and power lines in Boulder. More than 3400 Xcel customers in the University Hill area were without power for about one hour. Peak wind gusts included 68 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab and 60 mph in Boulder.
17-18
In 1976…a strong cold front produced wind gusts 30 to 60 mph with much blowing snow and severe dust storms. In the Boulder area…high winds collapsed a garage and broke some windows. Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph on the 17th and to 44 mph on the 18th at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1984…the third blizzard in a week struck eastern Colorado. Heavy snow hit some parts of metro Denver with 8 to 10 inches measured in Aurora…but only 2.9 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 31 mph.
In 1999…damaging downslope bora winds developed in the foothills behind a strong cold front. Peak wind reports included: 90 mph at the Gamow Tower on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder; 79 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research mesa lab near Boulder and at the national wind technology center south of Boulder; and 72 mph atop Blue Mountain and at Jefferson County Airport. Downed power lines caused major outages for at least 10 thousand residents in Evergreen…Idaho Springs…Golden… And Lakewood. In Golden…the wind toppled a lightning static protection line atop a 70-foot…230 thousand-volt distribution tower. The downed line…sparked a small grass fire just east of the Lookout Mountain youth services center. The fire burned a path approximately 100 yards wide and 1/3 mile long before it was contained.
In 2000…snow…heavy in the mountains and foothills…spread over metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 24 inches at the Eldora Ski Resort with 8 inches measured near Blackhawk. Snowfall was only 1.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport…which was the only measurable snow of the month.
The recent storm was certainly far less than impressive in reality. Thornton recorded a mere 3.6″ of snow and our seasonal snowfall totals continue to lag well below average.
However, when you take 24 hours of pictures taken at one minute intervals and combine them all into a single video you end up with a pretty neat 48 second time lapse. Below are videos from each of our webcams covering the period from noon on Wednesday, February 20 to noon on Wednesday, February 21.
Flames from the explosion of the meteor were captured by Russians. (YouTube)
The Friday morning calm in Chelyabinsk, Russia was shattered by a meteor slamming into Earth’s atmosphere and exploding over the city in the Ural Mountains. The energy released was greater than that of the first atomic bombs and caused widespread destruction and injuries.
Photo slideshow and video below
NASA says the 50 foot, 7,000 ton meteor entered the atmosphere at a speed of 40,000 mph and impacted at 9:20 a.m. local time (8:20 p.m. MST).
The energy released by the explosion has been estimated at 300 kilotons – far more than the 16 kiloton explosion of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and 21 kilotons of the one dropped on Nagasaki.
The meteor lasted in the atmosphere for over 30 seconds before exploding approximately 15 miles above the planet.
Most of the fragments burnt up before reaching the ground however photos from the area did show a large, 20 foot wide hole in the ice on a nearby lake suspected to have been caused by a chunk of the rock.
The loud sonic boom and the resultant shockwave blew out windows in buildings across the area and is believed to have caused the collapse of a wall of an industrial building.
Russia media reports nearly 1,000 people reported injuries including 82 children, two of which are in intensive care. No fatalities have been reported and no one is believed to have been hit by any fragments.
NASA said the meteor was not related to asteroid 2012 DA14 which passed extremely close to the earth today. That asteroid is 150 feet across and came within 17,200 miles of the Earth.
February 10 to February 16: This Week in Denver Weather History
As we continue an incredibly dry winter, we look to history to provide some sort of hope. While there have been some significant snow events this week in Denver weather history, more common is bitter cold and damaging winds.
From the National Weather Service:
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
In 1911…a trace of rain fell…a rare event in January.
In 1935…rainfall was 0.01 inch during the afternoon…a rare event in January.
In 1989…wind gusts to 80 mph were reported in southwest Boulder. Winds reached 100 mph at Rollinsville in the foothills southwest of Boulder.
In Golden…the wind blew a 25-foot trailer through a fence and flipped it over. West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 49 degrees.
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.
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.
NASA depiction of asteroid 2012 DA14 as it passes by the Earth. (NASA)
Known formally as ‘Asteroid 2012 DA14’, a massive piece of rock will pass perilously close to Earth on Friday. The 150 foot wide asteroid is similar in size to one that devastated Siberia in the early 20th century.
At its closest to the Earth, asteroid 2012 DA14 will be within 17,200 miles of Earth. That is much closer than the orbit of the moon (239,000 miles) and in fact will pass between Earth and many of our crucial communication satellites.
More than 100 geostationary satellites are perched in orbit at 22,000 miles. While there is no danger of 2012 DA14 hitting the Earth, there is a very remote chance it could collide with one of these manmade satellites.
NASA says that the rock is will be speeding by at 17,400 miles per hour. 2012 DA14 will be at its closest point to earth on Friday, February 15 at approximately 12:24 p.m. MST.
The daytime pass for those in North America will preclude viewing here. However those in Indonesia, Eastern Europe, Australia and Asia should be able to view it with a small telescope.
At 150 feet across, 2012 DA14 is similar in size to an asteroid that exploded over Siberia in 1908 – the “Tunguska Event.” That object created a blast estimated at 1,000 times more powerful that the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and flatted trees across an 800 square mile area.
Asteroids this size can cause extensive regional damage but are nowhere near the scale of the 5-mile-wide one that is thought responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.
Watch: NASA video explaining asteroid 2012 DA14 below the inforgraphic
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass extraordinarily close to Earth on Friday, within 17,200 miles of the planet. In discussing the massive rock hurtling by Earth, one CNN anchor yesterday inexplicably tried to link the celestial event with terrestrial global warming. Watch video and read the comments by Deb Feyerick on Examiner.com.
CNN anchor Deb Feyerick suggested that the close pass of asteroid 2012 DA14 is related to global warming. (NASA)
Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass extraordinarily close to Earth on Friday, within 17,200 miles of the planet. In discussing the massive rock hurtling by Earth, one CNN anchor yesterday inexplicably tried to link the celestial event with terrestrial…
Two powerful winter storms are set to collide over the northeastern United States today in what could be a record-breaking weather event. Many locations including Boston and New York City will see blizzard conditions in what some are calling a potentially historic event.
Parts of New England will be measuring snow in feet when this storm is finished and it is possible many locations will see their biggest snows on record. NASA satellites captured an amazing image this morning of the region as the storms begin to arrive – see below.
NASA says, “The satellite image, captured at 9:01 a.m. EST, shows clouds associated with the western frontal system stretching from Canada through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, into the Gulf of Mexico. The comma-shaped low pressure system located over the Atlantic, east of Virginia, is forecast to merge with the front and create a powerful nor’easter. The National Weather Service expects the merged storm to move northeast and drop between two to three feet of snow in parts of New England.”
A massive winter storm is coming together as two low pressure systems are merging over the U.S. East Coast. A satellite image from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite on Feb. 8 shows a western frontal system approaching the coastal low pressure area. (NASA) Click the image for a larger view.
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Northeastern Colorado received a much needed wallop of snow and the accompanying precipitation.
