Tag Archives: Denver International Airport

Colorado Weather

Tornado at Denver International Airport rated EF1

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The tornado near DIA sent workers working on the terminal renovations scrambling. (Rob Gardner)
The tornado near DIA sent workers working on the terminal renovations scrambling. (Rob Gardner)

The tornado that struck on the grounds of Denver International Airport (DIA) on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 has been rated an EF1 with winds up to 109 mph.  The twister came within a half mile of Concourses A and B and sent workers and travelers scrambling to tornado shelters.

Scroll down to see more photos of the tornado.

From the National Weather Service:

A tornado developed on Denver International Airport (DIA) grounds on the afternoon of June 18, 2013. The tornado formed around 2:19 PM just north of 70th Avenue. The tornado then moved slowly northwest between Runway 35R and 35L, and moved to within a half mile of Concourses A and B before dissipating at 2:36 PM. The tornado moved extremely close if not over the ASOS (Automated Surface Observation System) and another low level wind shear sensor at DIA. The ASOS weather observing system reported a 97 mph wind gust at 2:27 PM, while the wind shear sensor reported a wind gust to 109 mph at the same time – indicative of an EF1 tornado. There was only minor damage noted to this equipment. The storm responsible for this tornado first developed just south of the airport, and then drift slowly northward across the eastern side of DIA. At 2:05 PM, there was weak rotation beginning to develop underneath this storm as noted by the velocity data below. This rotation then strengthened quickly between 2:10 and 2:22 PM.

Climate Change, Climatology, Thornton Weather

Questions arise about use of DIA weather station; Location far from city invalidates historical comparisons

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Hot or cold: Denver's problematic weather records
Hot or cold: Denver's problematic weather records. (Denver Weather Examiner)

Does a move of 12 miles make a difference in what type of weather is seen in Colorado?  Longtime residents know that our weather can vary greatly over short distances and this has many questioning the placement of Denver’s official weather monitoring station.

From 1871 to 1949 Denver’s weather was recorded at the National Weather Service’s office in downtown Denver.  In January 1950 a move was made to Stapleton International Airport.

As that facility aged Denver opened Denver International Airport on the plains northeast of Denver in 1995.  The weather service followed suit and moved the Mile High City’s official weather station the 12 miles to DIA.

Since that time, many weather watchers have noticed problems – DIA is consistently warmer and drier than the old site at Stapleton.  Further, its remote location gives conditions far from where most people in Denver live and thus doesn’t accurately represent what they are experiencing.

Even bigger issues arise when comparing weather data taken today with measurements previously recorded at Stapleton or downtown.  The different microclimates of the sites are so different that it becomes much like comparing apples and oranges.

This was recently made evident with the string of 90 degree or warmer days we put together.  If you went by the station at DIA, the streak lasted 18 days putting in a three way tie for the second longest streak in Denver history.  However, no monitoring station closer to the city was as warm.

Further, while July was certainly a wet month, DIA’s precipitation measurements fell far short of most other locations.

Amid concerns about a warming climate, can we trust the measurements at DIA?  How is it possible to compare the weather today with historical weather when there is such a large discrepancy?

We recently tackled this topic on the Denver Weather Examiner and the conclusion is obvious – It simply is impossible to correlate current weather records with Denver’s historical ones.  Further, the National Weather Service seems intent on ignoring the issue.

Get the complete store here.

Climatology, Colorado Weather, Thornton Weather

Do Denver weather and climate records have an asterisk attached?

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The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate tto compare weather between the two locations?
The old Stapleton International Airport site and Denver International Airport are separated by 12 miles. Is it accurate to compare weather between the two locations?

February 2009 is Denver’s least snowiest February on record.  A new record high temperature is recorded on January 21, 2009.  Record low temperatures are recorded on December 14th and 15th of last year. 

These announcements are common and we all take notice when we hear them and they make for great water cooler chat topics but are these claims accurate? 

In 1995 Denver finally opened its new airport, Denver International Airport, out on the plains east of the city.  This new facility, 12 miles as the crow flies northeast of the old Stapleton International Airport, moved the airport from an urban environment to a rural one and more than 19 miles from the center of Denver.  Following that move, the National Weather Service (NWS) began taking some of its official measurements at the glistening new airport.  In doing so, some say Denver’s climate records have forever been altered and as such any weather record should have an asterisk attached to it. 

On Examiner.com we have launched a three part investigative series on this topic.  It is a fascinating read – click here to read the rest of the story.

For all the details, read the rest of this story on our Denver Weather Examiner page. Examiner.com - Get inside Denver weather