As we move further into the severe weather season, we begin to see that transition in our look back at Denver weather history.  There are many more mentions of lightning, wildfires, tornadoes, hail and other season weather conditions.

14-18

In 1996…a period of unusually warm weather resulted in 4 record maximum temperatures in 5 days.  The record high temperatures were 87 degrees on the 14th…89 degrees on the 15th…and 93 degrees on both the 16th and 18th.  The temperature climbed to only 81 degrees on the 17th which was not a record.

16-17

In 1981…a heavy rain storm dumped 1 to 2 1/2 inches of rain across metro Denver.  Rainfall totaled 1.27 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 38 mph on 17th.
 
In 1983…a very strong late spring storm dumped heavy snow over the Front Range.  Strong winds with the storm produced blizzard conditions at times.  Sustained winds were 20 to 40 mph with a peak gust to 55 mph at Stapleton International Airport.  The foothills received 1 to 2 feet of snow with 4 to 12 inches along the foothills.  Howling winds whipped the snow into drifts several feet deep…closing schools and highways.  Stapleton International Airport was forced to reduce flight operations…closing 2 of 4 runways and stranding hundreds of travelers.  Most of the damage and inconvenience caused by the storm was in power outages… Which occurred when wind and heavy wet snow caused hundreds of power poles to snap and topple.  About 20 square miles of Denver were blacked out.  Precipitation from the storm totaled 1 to 3 inches.  At Stapleton International Airport… Snowfall totaled 7.1 inches with a maximum snow depth on the ground of only 2 inches due to melting.  The high temperature of 40 degrees on the 17th was a record low maximum for the date.  Due to the heavy moisture content of the storm…widespread street flooding occurred on the 18th when much of the snow melted under the warm May sun and temperatures climbed to a high of 57 degrees.
 
In 1995…significant moisture and upslope flow caused flooding across metro Denver.  Moderate to heavy rains… Which began on the evening of the 16th…developed in the foothills and spread eastward over metro Denver throughout the night.  The heavy rains brought many creeks and small streams to bankfull or slightly over.  Locations along the foothills received between 3 and 4 inches of rainfall from the storm.  Boulder received 3.60 inches of rainfall for the 24-hour period…causing minor street flooding near small streams.  To the northwest of Boulder…a bridge which crossed Fourmile Creek was washed out.  Numerous rock and mudslides occurred in foothills canyons…closing portions of U.S. Highways 6 and 40 and State Highway 119 for a few hours at a time.  Rocks were piled 6 feet deep on a stretch of State Highway 119 along with Boulders as large as cars on U.S. Highway 6.  A parking lot near a creek in Golden caved in leaving a hole the size of an 18-wheeler.  Rushing water washed out a 50-foot stretch of a road in Westminster. Rainfall totaled 1.75 inches at Denver International Airport…but only 1.42 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

Continue reading May 17 – May 23 – This week in Denver weather history →

As we move further into spring we begin to less winter-like weather and more spring weather.  In looking at Denver weather history we can see that transition with more mentions of severe rains, flooding, tornadoes and other spring and summer-like severe weather.

8-10 

In 1979…4.3 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 8th. Most of the snowfall…2.3 inches…occurred on the 9th. High temperature of only 35 degrees on the 9th equaled the record low maximum for the date.

9-10 

In 1889…heavy rainfall totaled 2.15 inches in downtown Denver.  The cold rain was mixed with snow at times overnight.  Temperatures on the 10th ranged from a high of 38 degrees to a low of 32 degrees with north winds sustained to 22 mph.
 
In 2003…a late spring snowstorm hammered the mountains… Eastern foothills…and urban corridor.  The heaviest snowfall occurred north of interstate 70.  The heavy wet snow caused damage to trees throughout metro Denver and downed power lines.  About 40 thousand people along the urban corridor were without power.  Storm total snowfall amounts included:  11.5 inches in Louisville… 8 inches in Boulder and Broomfield; 7 inches in Thornton…Broomfield…at Denver International Airport… And at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport; and 6 inches 4 miles east of Denver.  Snowfall ranged from 4 to 9 inches across extreme southern weld County.  In the foothills…15 inches of snow fell near Jamestown…9 inches at Rollinsville and Rawah…with 8 inches at Chief Hosa and atop Lookout Mountain. The snow was accompanied by thunder on the afternoon of the 9th at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 25 mph on the 9th and north winds gusted to 22 mph on the 10th.

10

In 1875…a windstorm sand-blasted the city from 10:00 am until midnight.  Northwest winds sustained to 60 mph brought clouds of sand…which caused high damage to unfinished buildings.
 
In 1912…a vigorous cold front produced strong north winds and rain.  North winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph.  Rainfall totaled 1.10 inch.
 
In 1935…no precipitation occurred…making this one of only two days without precipitation during the entire month.  The other day was the 21st.  Precipitation totaled 4.95 inches for the month.
 
In 1956…northwest winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton Airport where the visibility was briefly reduced to 1/2 mile in blowing dust.
 
In 1974…strong winds caused 30 thousand dollars in damage to a building under construction in Lakewood.  Microburst winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1988…lightning struck a house in Boulder…setting it afire.  The house…valued at 170 thousand dollars…was a total loss.
 
In 1989…golf ball size hail fell over southeast Denver near the junction of I-25 and I-225.  Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell over southeast Aurora.  Only 3/8 inch hail fell at Stapleton International Airport.
 
In 1991…high winds up to 63 mph raked the eastern foothills. Winds estimated to 50 mph tore a roof from a home in Lafayette.  A tower at Jefferson County stadium in west metro Denver was blown over by the high winds.  No injuries were reported.  Southeast winds gusting to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport produced some blowing dust.  The temperature climbed to a high of 86 degrees… Equaling the record maximum for the date.
 
In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as 2 inches in diameter in and near Longmont.

Continue reading May 10 to May 16 – This week in Denver weather history →

A very eventful week in Denver weather history.  Four tornadoes are mentioned and many reminders that winter may not be over just quite yet. 

From the National Weather Service:

1-5

IN 1898…SNOWFALL TOTALED 15.5 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…6.2 INCHES…FELL ON THE 3RD.  MOST OF THE SNOW MELTED AS IT FELL.  THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND WAS ONLY 2.5 INCHES ON THE 3RD AT 8:00 PM. THIS WAS THE ONLY SNOWFALL DURING THE MONTH.  NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 22 MPH ON THE 1ST.

2-3

IN 1979…HEAVY RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW ON THE 2ND.  SNOWFALL TOTALED 3.9 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT… WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 26 MPH.  THE GREATEST DEPTH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS ONLY 1 INCH AT MIDDAY ON THE 2ND DUE TO MELTING.  TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE 2 DAYS WAS 1.65 INCHES

2-4

IN 1987…A SLOW MOVING STORM BROUGHT RAIN…WIND…AND SNOW TO METRO DENVER.  RAINFALL TOTALED 1.04 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 48 MPH ON THE 3RD.  THE FOOTHILLS RECEIVED 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW

2-5

IN 2001…A VERY SLOW MOVING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM BECAME PARKED NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS REGION…WHICH ALLOWED HEAVY SNOW TO DEVELOP ABOVE 6500 FEET IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS OF METRO DENVER.  SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED:  21 INCHES ATOP CROW HILL AND AT IDAHO SPRINGS; 19 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK; AND 18 INCHES IN COAL CREEK CANYON…GENESEE…AND 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORRISON. SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.2 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.  PRECIPITATION (RAIN AND MELTED SNOW) TOTALED 2.09 INCHES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH ON THE 2ND.

Continue reading May 3 to May 9 – This week in Denver weather history →

An incredibly busy week on the Denver weather history calendar as we see below.  Thunderstorms, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricane force winds and more have all been seen during this week in Denver weather history. 

From the National Weather Service:

2-5  

IN 1918…SNOWFALL TOTALED 12.4 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 3RD AND 4TH.  TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE 20`S AND 30`S.  NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 24 MPH ON THE 2ND.

3-5  

IN 1996…THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER RECEIVED 6 TO 8 INCHES OF NEW SNOW.  ONLY 0.8 INCH OF SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…ALONG WITH SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE ON THE 4TH AND 5TH.  NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 3RD.

3-6  

IN 1898…SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.7 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER OVER THE 4 DAYS.  NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 48 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH ON THE 3RD.

IN 1983…A PROLONGED HEAVY SNOW STORM BLANKETED THE AREA ALONG WITH VERY COLD TEMPERATURES.  THE GREATEST AMOUNTS OF SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS WHERE 24 TO 42 INCHES WERE MEASURED.  A FOOT OF SNOW FELL IN BOULDER.  SNOW FELL FOR 50 CONSECUTIVE HOURS AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 3RD THROUGH THE 5TH WITH A TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 8.8 INCHES AND A MAXIMUM ACCUMULATION ON THE GROUND OF 6 INCHES ON THE 5TH.  IN DENVER…THE MERCURY FAILED TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING FOR 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS…ON THE 4TH…5TH… AND 6TH…FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN APRIL.  FIVE DAILY TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET FROM THE 4TH THROUGH THE 6TH. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES OF 12 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE 5TH WITH 7 DEGREES ON THE 6TH.  RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES OF 25 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE 4TH…27 DEGREES ON THE 5TH…  AND 28 DEGREES ON THE 6TH.

4-5  

IN 1900…RAIN CHANGED TO HEAVY SNOW AND TOTALED 7.8 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER OVERNIGHT.  A THUNDERSTORM ON THE 4TH PRODUCED HAIL.  PRECIPITATION TOTALED 1.50 INCHES.

IN 1911…NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH ON THE 4TH AND TO 41 MPH ON THE 5TH.

IN 2002…A WHITISH-COLORED HAZE ENGULFED METRO DENVER ON BOTH DAYS.  THE HAZE WAS THE RESULT OF A HUGE WIND STORM THAT KICKED UP DUST AND SAND FROM THE GOBI DESERT IN MONGOLIA AND CHINA DURING THE LATTER HALF OF MARCH.  WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT TRANSPORTED THE DUST CLOUD ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES…DEPOSITING SOME OF IT ON COLORADO.

Continue reading April 5 to April 11 – 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. 

From the National Weather Service:

27-29

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.

Continue reading March 29 to April 4 – 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.

Continue reading March 22 to March 28 – This week in Denver weather history →