Lots of snow and lots of wind are the common theme when looking back at this week in Denver weather history. Certainly fall always brings the wind and November is our second snowiest month and the history books definitely seem to back that up.
1-2 IN 1892…SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.0 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
THIS WAS THE ONLY SNOW OF THE MONTH.
IN 1956…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.0 INCHES AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT. THE STORM WAS ACCOMPANIED BY MUCH BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 47 MPH.
IN 1991…THE STORM SYSTEM WHICH HIT THE FRONT RANGE AT THE
END OF OCTOBER FINISHED THE JOB DURING THE START OF
NOVEMBER. SIX INCHES OF NEW SNOW WERE RECORDED AT BOTH
ROLLINSVILLE AND MORRISON…WHILE 2.9 INCHES OF SNOW
FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST
WINDS GUSTED TO 17 MPH. THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO A
HIGH OF ONLY 19 DEGREES ON THE 2ND…SETTING A RECORD
LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
IN 1995…A WINTER STORM DROPPED 5 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IN
THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. THE EXCEPTION WAS AT GOLDEN
GATE CANYON WHERE A FOOT OF NEW SNOW WAS MEASURED. ICY
ROADS…FOG…AND BLOWING SNOW ALONG I-70 IN THE FOOTHILLS
WEST OF DENVER CAUSED DOZENS OF ACCIDENTS. ONE MAN WAS
KILLED WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF HIS VEHICLE AND WAS EJECTED
WHEN HIS TRUCK HIT A MEDIAN AND ROLLED OVER. AT LEAST 20
OTHER ACCIDENTS INVOLVED MINOR INJURIES. ONLY 1.0 INCH OF
SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WHERE SOME FREEZING RAIN ALSO FELL.
2 IN 1939…A TRACE OF SNOW FELL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. THIS
SNOW…ALONG WITH A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE 9TH…WAS THE ONLY
SNOW OF THE MONTH…RANKING IT…ALONG WITH OTHER MONTHS…THE
SECOND LEAST SNOWIEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD.
IN 1967…POST-COLD FRONTAL HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.2
INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH
WINDS GUSTED TO 29 MPH…BRIEFLY REDUCING THE VISIBILITY
TO 1/8 MILE.
IN 1992…THE FIRST MAJOR SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON DUMPED 4.6
INCHES OF SNOW AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 26 MPH. HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF SNOW
FELL IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS WITH 8 INCHES AT CONIFER…
EMPIRE…AND BAILEY…6 INCHES AT ROLLINSVILLE AND GOLDEN
GATE CANYON…AND 4 INCHES AT MORRISON AND WHEAT RIDGE.
2-3 IN 1974…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 6.1 INCHES AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 23 MPH
ON THE 3RD. MOST OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 3RD. MAXIMUM
SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND WAS 5 INCHES.
IN 1990…A WINTER STORM DUMPED 3 TO 8 INCHES OF HEAVY WET
SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER. IN THE FOOTHILLS SNOW AMOUNTS
RANGED FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES. SLUSHY SNOW AND ICE-COVERED
ROADS SNARLED TRAFFIC. THE SNOW…ICE…AND POOR VISIBILITIES
WERE BLAMED FOR NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. LOW CLOUDS…
FOG…AND SNOW DELAYED AIR TRAFFIC AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT FOR AT LEAST 90 MINUTES ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 2ND.
SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.4 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 21 MPH.
2-5 IN 1946…A MAJOR SNOW STORM DUMPED 30.4 INCHES OF HEAVY
SNOWFALL DOWNTOWN AND 31.0 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
THE WINTER STORM CLOSED SCHOOLS AND DISRUPTED ALL FORMS OF
TRANSPORTATION IN THE CITY. THE GREATEST DEPTH OF SNOW ON
THE GROUND WAS 28 INCHES AT THE AIRPORT. THE DURATION OF
THE SNOWFALL…FROM 4:22 AM ON THE 2ND TO 3:08 AM ON THE 5TH…
A TOTAL OF 70 HOURS AND 46 MINUTES…IS THE SECOND LONGEST
PERIOD OF CONTINUOUS PRECIPITATION ON RECORD AND THE SECOND
HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OF RECORD AT THE TIME IN DENVER. THE 17.7
INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON THE 2ND AND 3RD WAS THE GREATEST 24-
HOUR SNOWFALL EVER RECORDED DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.
BUSES AND STREET CARS HAD A DIFFICULT TIME…AND MANY CARS
WERE ABANDONED ALONG ROADSIDES AND STREETS FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
SECONDARY ROADS IN RURAL AREAS WERE BLOCKED FOR 2 TO 3
WEEKS. SEVERAL BUILDINGS IN THE CITY COLLAPSED OR WERE
DAMAGED FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE HEAVY SNOW. FOOTBALL GAMES
WERE CANCELED. LIVESTOCK LOSSES WERE HIGH OVER EASTERN
COLORADO. THE PRECIPITATION FROM THIS STORM ALONE EXCEEDED
THE GREATEST AMOUNT EVER RECORDED IN DENVER DURING THE
ENTIRE MONTH OF NOVEMBER PREVIOUSLY. THE PRECIPITATION
RECORDED DOWNTOWN WAS 2.03 INCHES…AND THE PREVIOUS RECORD
FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF NOVEMBER WAS 1.95 INCHES IN 1922.
NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 26 MPH ON THE 2ND.
3 IN 1940…THE LONGEST PERIOD WITHOUT SNOW…200 DAYS…ENDED ON
THIS DATE WITH THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON…A TRACE…ON
NOVEMBER 4…1940. THE LAST SNOW OF THE PREVIOUS SEASON…
ALSO A TRACE…OCCURRED ON APRIL 17…1940.
IN 1959…A RARE THUNDERSTORM IN NOVEMBER OCCURRED AROUND
SUNRISE. RAINFALL MEASURED ONLY 0.02 INCH AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT.
IN 1993…PERIODIC HIGH WINDS BUFFETED THE FOOTHILLS WEST
OF DENVER. WIND GUSTS TO 90 MPH WERE RECORDED AT
ROLLINSVILLE IN THE FOOTHILLS SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER…WHILE
GUSTS TO 85 MPH WERE OBSERVED ATOP SQUAW MOUNTAIN NEAR
IDAHO SPRINGS. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 37 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996…A RARE NOVEMBER THUNDERSTORM DURING THE EARLY
EVENING PRODUCED 0.10 INCH OF RAIN AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AND ONLY 0.06 INCH OF RAIN AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2005…STRONG WINDS DEVELOPED OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR.
WHILE THE DAMAGING WINDS WERE IN THE FORT COLLINS AREA…
HIGH WINDS ALSO DEVELOPED TO THE SOUTH OF DENVER IN
DOUGLAS COUNTY. PEAK WIND REPORTS INCLUDED 70 MPH AT
FRANKTOWN…65 MPH IN CASTLE ROCK…AND 61 MPH IN SEDALIA.
WEST WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 47 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE
TO A HIGH OF 69 DEGREES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
WINDS WERE STRONG AND GUSTY FOR MOST OF THE DAYTIME HOURS
ACROSS METRO DENVER.
3-4 IN 1994…A FAST MOVING SNOW STORM DUMPED 8 TO 9 INCHES OF
SNOW ON BOULDER…BROOMFIELD…AND LAFAYETTE. SNOWFALL
TOTALED ONLY 1.8 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE ON THE 3RD EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 20 MPH AND SOME
FREEZING DRIZZLE FELL.
4 IN 1940…A TRACE OF SNOW FELL IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. THIS
MARKED THE START OF THE SHORTEST SNOW SEASON ON RECORD…
167 DAYS…THROUGH APRIL 19…1941…WHEN 0.4 INCH OF SNOW
FELL.
IN 1959…HIGH WINDS CAUSED DAMAGE IN MANY AREAS OF THE
EASTERN PLAINS. IN DENVER…WINDS AVERAGED 40 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO 70 MPH. SOME DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO UTILITY
LINES…SIGNS…AND VEHICLES. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE
SUSTAINED TO 30 MPH AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
4-5 IN 1933…THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE SEASON TOTALED
ONLY 2.5 INCHES. THIS WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW
OF THE MONTH. NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO
27 MPH ON THE 4TH.
IN 1951…HEAVY SNOWFALL OF 5.7 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 32
MPH.
5 IN 1896…WEST CHINOOK WINDS SUSTAINED TO 44 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 46 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 56 DEGREES
IN THE CITY.
IN 1919…A RARE NOVEMBER THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED A MIXTURE
OF RAIN AND SNOW DURING THE EVENING. PRECIPITATION
TOTALED ONLY 0.14 INCH WITH ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW.
NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 39 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
44 MPH.
IN 1948…A WEST-NORTHWEST WIND GUST TO 50 MPH WAS RECORDED
AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1994…WINDS GUSTED TO 76 MPH ON THE SUMMIT OF SQUAW
MOUNTAIN…5 MILES SOUTH OF IDAHO SPRINGS.
IN 2000…SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER AND
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS. SNOW TOTALS INCLUDED
6 INCHES NEAR EVERGREEN…11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MORRISON…
AND 7 MILES SOUTH OF TINY TOWN AND 5 INCHES IN AURORA
AND PARKER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.5 INCHES AT THE SITE OF
THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTHEAST
WINDS GUSTED TO 26 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE THE VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO 1/4 MILE IN HEAVY
SNOW AT TIMES.
5-6 IN 1938…HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.5 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN
DENVER. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 16 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 19 MPH ON THE 5TH.
5-7 IN 1918…RAIN WAS MIXED WITH AND CHANGED TO SNOW…WHICH
BECAME HEAVY AND TOTALED 8.1 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 21 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 23 MPH.
6 IN 1962…WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 55 MPH…BRIEFLY REDUCING THE
VISIBILITY TO 1 1/2 MILES IN BLOWING DUST AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT. THE STRONG WINDS BLEW ALL DAY.
IN 1989…HIGH WINDS TO 62 MPH WERE RECORDED IN BOULDER.
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 33 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT.
IN 1991…STRONG WESTERLY CHINOOK WINDS BLEW INTO METRO DENVER
WITH GUSTS TO 88 MPH RECORDED AT ROLLINSVILLE AND TO 51 MPH
IN BOULDER. LATER…NORTHEAST WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 40
MPH WERE COMMON ACROSS ALL OF METRO DENVER BEHIND A COLD
FRONT…WHICH PRODUCED ONLY 0.2 INCH OF SNOWFALL AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
7 IN 1958…A STRONG COLD FRONT PRODUCED NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS
TO 52 MPH AT STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE SOME BLOWING DUST
WAS OBSERVED.
IN 1980…CHINOOK WINDS AT SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 40 MPH WERE
RECORDED WITH A PEAK GUST TO 71 MPH MEASURED AT WONDERVU
SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 25 MPH AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1989…STRONG WINDS BUFFETED MANY FOOTHILLS AREAS. WIND
GUSTS OF 60 TO 70 MPH WERE RECORDED IN BOULDER AND
LONGMONT. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 43 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996…WIND GUSTS TO 75 MPH WERE RECORDED AT GOLDEN GATE
CANYON AND AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY
NORTHWEST OF DENVER. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 40 MPH AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1998…UPSLOPE CONDITIONS…COUPLED WITH A MOIST AND
UNSTABLE AIR MASS…ALLOWED HEAVY SNOW TO DEVELOP
IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER. SNOWFALL GENERALLY
RANGED FROM 4 TO 6 INCHES…BUT 7 INCHES WERE MEASURED
4 MILES SOUTH OF EVERGREEN. ONLY 1.2 INCHES OF SNOW
FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. THIS WAS THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE
SEASON.
7-8 IN 1969…WIND GUSTS TO 48 MPH IN DOWNTOWN BOULDER CAUSED
MINOR DAMAGE.
8 IN 1896…SOUTHWEST CHINOOK WINDS SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 46 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH
OF 53 DEGREES.
IN 1977 NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN BLOWING SNOW CAUSED THE
CLOSURE OF I-70 TO THE WEST OF DENVER IN CLEAR CREEK CANYON
AND EAST OF DENVER TO LIMON. NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS TO 46 MPH
WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 1.1 INCHES.
IN 1984…A RARE NOVEMBER THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED WEST WINDS
GUSTING TO 31 MPH…BUT ONLY 0.04 INCH OF RAIN AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996…HIGH WINDS GUSTING FROM 80 TO 100 MPH WERE RECORDED
AT WONDERVU IN THE FOOTHILLS SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER. WEST
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 32 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT.
IN 2006…THE TEMPERATURE IN DENVER CLIMBED TO A HIGH OF 80
DEGREES. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE TEMPERATURE HAD EVER
EXCEEDED THE 70’S IN NOVEMBER SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1872.
THIS NEW ALL-TIME RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
OF NOVEMBER WAS ALSO A NEW DAILY RECORD AND THE HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE EVER RECORDED SO LATE IN THE SEASON.
8-9 IN 1897…WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 50 MPH IN THE CITY.
IN 1919…POST-FRONTAL HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.4 INCHES OVER
DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW…6.6 INCHES…FELL ON THE
9TH. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 26 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
30 MPH ON THE 8TH.
IN 1950…A MAJOR WINTER STORM DUMPED 10.4 INCHES OF SNOW AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT WITH THE MOST SNOW…7.8 INCHES…FALLING
ON THE 8TH. EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 31 MPH AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT ON THE 8TH. SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.2 INCHES IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1958…STRONG WINDS CAUSED SOME DAMAGE IN BOULDER. WEST-
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 40 MPH AT STAPLETON AIRPORT ON
THE 8TH.
IN 1975…HEAVY SNOWFALL HIT METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TOTALED 8.0 INCHES AND
EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 21 MPH. POWER OUTAGES CAUSED BY THE
STORM AFFECTED OVER 10 THOUSAND PEOPLE IN METRO DENVER. IN
THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER…10 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW FELL.
THE STORM PRODUCED THE GREATEST 24-HOUR PRECIPITATION…1.29
INCHES…EVER RECORDED DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IN THE
CITY.
IN 1983…METRO DENVER RECEIVED 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW WITH THE
HEAVIEST AMOUNTS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS. IT WAS THE FIRST
MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE SEASON IN DENVER. ONLY 1.8 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH
WINDS GUSTED TO 20 MPH.
IN 1989…STRONG WINDS HIT THE FRONT RANGE. ON THE 9TH…THE
WOODEN FRAME OF A HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN BOULDER WAS
BLOWN DOWN. THE PREVIOUS EVENING A POWER OUTAGE BLACKENED
NEDERLAND. WIND GUSTS TO 95 MPH WERE RECORDED 4 MILES
SOUTH OF ROLLINSVILLE WITH 97 MPH ON FRITZ PEAK NEAR THAT
TOWN. AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT…NORTHWEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 45 MPH ON THE 8TH AND TO 38 MPH ON THE 9TH.
IN 1998…ANOTHER UPSLOPE SNOW EVENT DEVELOPED IN THE FRONT
RANGE FOOTHILLS. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRED IN WEST
CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY WHERE 14 INCHES WERE MEASURED
8 MILES WEST OF CONIFER. OTHER SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED:
10 INCHES AT EVERGREEN AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF BERGEN
PARK; 9 INCHES AT GENESEE…NEDERLAND…AND NEAR THE CHIEF
HOSA EXIT ON I-70; AND 8 INCHES IN COAL CREEK CANYON. ON
THE 9TH…SNOWFALL WAS 2.6 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS
GUSTED TO 30 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 9TH.
8-10 IN 1985…INDIAN SUMMER CAME TO AN ABRUPT END WHEN A WINTER
STORM DUMPED 10 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS AND 6 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS METRO DENVER…SNARLING
TRAFFIC AND CAUSING FLIGHT DELAYS OF UP TO 3 HOURS AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE TEMPERATURE PLUNGED
FROM A HIGH OF 66 DEGREES ON THE 8TH TO A LOW OF ONLY 13
DEGREES ON THE 9TH…AFTER THE PASSAGE OF A VIGOROUS COLD
FRONT WITH NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTING TO 32 MPH. THE
TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO ONLY 19 DEGREES ON THE 10TH…SETTING
A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE. SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.3
INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WITH MOST OF THE
SNOW…7.1 INCHES…FALLING ON THE 9TH.