{"id":16173,"date":"2016-02-28T04:18:51","date_gmt":"2016-02-28T11:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=16173"},"modified":"2016-03-07T05:06:22","modified_gmt":"2016-03-07T12:06:22","slug":"february-28-to-march-6-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/february-28-to-march-6-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"February 28 to March 5: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This<\/a>
February 28 to March 6: This week in Denver weather history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wild weather is a fact of life in Denver and in Colorado in general.\u00a0 We see that consistently in the history books and this week demonstrates that.\u00a0 As usual we see high wind events and extreme cold.\u00a0 Also notable is that as we enter the month of March, we start to see occurrences of those heavy, wet spring snows that can wreak havoc.<\/p>\n

From the National Weather Service:<\/p>\n

22-29<\/p>\n

In 1960\u2026heavy snowfall of 6.1 inches at Stapleton Airport on the 22nd and 23rd marked the beginning of a protracted cold spell which lasted until the end of the month.\u00a0 The cloudy\u2026 Cold weather was accompanied by occasional light snow or flurries and fog.\u00a0 New record low temperatures for the dates were set on the 24th thru the 29th with the lowest temperature of 11 degrees below zero on the 28th.\u00a0 The seven consecutive days of low temperatures of zero or below had been exceeded in duration only 4 times previously.\u00a0 New low maximum temperatures for the dates were set on the 23rd\u2026 24th\u2026and the 26th thru the 29th with the lowest maximum temperature of 8 degrees recorded on the 26th.
\n27-28 in 1918\u2026heavy snowfall totaled 9.6 inches in downtown Denver.\u00a0 Most of the snow\u20268.4 inches\u2026 Fell on the 27th.<\/p>\n

In 1931\u2026a major winter storm dumped 12.0 inches of heavy snowfall over downtown Denver.\u00a0 This is the greatest 24 hour snowfall ever recorded during the month of February. North winds gusted to 18 mph on the 28th.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a warm spell resulted in 3 temperature records. The high temperature of 73 degrees on the 27th equaled the record high for the date.\u00a0 High temperature of 77 degrees on the 28th was a record high for the date and equaled the all time record high temperature for February first set on February 4\u20261890.<\/p>\n

28<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 54 mph with gusts to 65 mph.\u00a0 The winds warmed the temperature to a high of 56 degrees.\u00a0 This was the second consecutive day of strong winds in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1958\u2026at Stapleton Airport\u2026 Snowfall totaled 5.3 inches and northeast winds gusted to 24 mph.<\/p>\n

28-29<\/p>\n

In 2012…another round of high winds occurred along the Front Range foothills. Peak wind gusts included: 84 mph at the National Wind Technology Center; 77 mph…3 miles south-southwest of Boulder; and 75 mph…3 miles southwest of Rocky Flats.\u00a0 At Denver International Airport…west winds gusted to 36 mph on the 28th and 35 mph on the 29th.<\/p>\n

28-1<\/p>\n

In 1875\u20266 inches of snow fell from 3:15 pm on the 28th to 1:00 am on the 1st.\u00a0 Precipitation for the two days was 0.50 inch.<\/p>\n

29<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026southwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 60 mph.\u00a0 This was the third consecutive day that strong winds occurred in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026Chinook winds gusted to only 25 mph at Stapleton International Airport\u2026but warmed the temperature to a high of 70 degrees\u2026which equaled the record for the date first set in 1940.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026only light snow fell across metro Denver\u2026 While a blizzard raged across northeast Colorado.\u00a0 Both I-70 and I-76 were closed to the east of Denver by winds gusting to 60 mph producing drifting snow to depths of 2 to 6 feet. Snowfall was only 1.6 inches at the Denver Stapleton site. North winds gusted to 41 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

29-1<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026snowfall totaled 5.5 inches in the city.\u00a0 Northeast winds gusted to 24 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1948\u2026snowfall totaled 5.9 inches in downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 15 mph.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026west winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph.\u00a0 The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 67 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1906\u2026snowfall was heavy and totaled 7.5 inches over downtown Denver.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 37 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1940\u2026snowfall was heavy and totaled 7.7 inches in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1943\u20266.0 inches of snow fell over downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 19 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1956\u2026west-northwest wind gusts to 52 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026a wind gust to 65 mph was recorded at the Colorado building in downtown Boulder.\u00a0 The high winds caused some minor damage.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026a wind gust to 77 mph was recorded in Boulder. Southwest winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026upslope conditions caused heavy snow to develop in and near the eastern foothills.\u00a0 Snow totals included 14 inches at Eldorado Springs and near Genesee; 13 inches atop Lookout Mountain; 12 inches in Coal Creek Canyon; 10 inches in Nederland and just east of Boulder; 9 inches in Boulder and Morrison; and 8 inches at Broomfield\u2026Erie\u2026\u00a0 Golden\u2026Louisville\u2026 And Littleton.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 6.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Northeast winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2014…a localized band of heavy snow over downtown Denver produced around one inch in less than 30 minutes and contributed to a chain of accidents in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25…between Logan Street and University Blvd. The combination of excessive speed and very poor driving conditions led the chain reaction; it involved 104 vehicles and resulted in one death along with 30 injuries. The interstate was closed for approximately 5 hours. At Denver International Airport…1 inch of snow was observed.<\/p>\n

<\/span>1-2<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026heavy snowfall totaled 7.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north-northwest winds gusted to 18 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u20263 to 6 inches of snow fell over metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 3.2 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 32 mph.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026localized heavy snow developed in the foothills of Jefferson County.\u00a0 Storm totals included:\u00a0 12.5 inches near conifer\u202611 inches in the foothills southwest of Boulder\u2026and 10 inches near Genesee.\u00a0 Only 0.9 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026west winds sustained to 52 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 68 degrees. Snowfall was 0.4 inch in the evening.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026a storm system brought heavy snow to portions of the Front Range foothills; as well as localized blizzard conditions to areas along the palmer divide.\u00a0 In the foothills of Jefferson and park counties storm totals included:\u00a0 16 inches at Genesee\u202614 inches\u2026 4 miles south of Evergreen; 13 inches\u20263 miles southeast of Pinecliffe; 12 inches\u20265 miles west-southwest of conifer; 10 inches at Evergreen and 5 miles west of Littleton. Along the Palmer Divide\u2026south and southeast of Denver\u2026\u00a0 The combination of gusty northerly winds and snow caused localized blizzards.\u00a0 Storm totals included:\u00a0 7 inches\u2026 2 miles east of Castle Rock; 6 inches\u20264 miles east of Parker and 2 miles northwest of Elizabeth; and 5 inches near Castle Pines.\u00a0 The wind\u2026gusting to 35 mph\u2026 Stirred up snow drifts from 1 to 3 feet in depth.\u00a0 Northeast winds gusted up to 49 mph at Denver International Airport; and 2.0 inches of snow was observed at the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

2-3<\/p>\n

In 1901\u2026strong northwest winds raked the city for 2 days. On the 2nd\u2026winds were sustained to 55 mph with gusts to 62 mph.\u00a0 The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 72 degrees\u2026a record maximum for the date.\u00a0 On the 3rd\u2026winds were sustained to 61 mph with gusts as high as 65 mph.\u00a0 The high temperature was 59 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1964\u2026heavy snowfall of 6.3 inches was measured at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 East winds gusted to only 20 mph behind a cold front.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u20265.0 inches of snowfall were measured at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 24 mph on the 2nd.\u00a0 The passage of a cold Canadian front kept temperatures only in the teens and 20`s on the 2nd after a high temperature of 33 degrees shortly after midnight. The temperature\u2026after a morning low of 3 degrees below zero\u2026climbed to only 14 degrees on the 3rd\u2026 Setting a record low maximum for the date.<\/p>\n

2-4<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026heavy wet snow was accompanied by strong gusty winds across metro Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 11.6 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusting to 44 mph caused much blowing and drifting snow.\u00a0 Hazardous driving conditions resulted in many traffic accidents.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026snowfall totaled 8.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where\u2026on the 4th\u2026 Northeast winds gusted to 31 mph reducing the visibility to as low as 1\/4 mile.\u00a0 Maximum snow depth on the ground was 7 inches.\u00a0 Nine inches of snow were measured in Boulder.<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026six inches of snow fell in Georgetown.<\/p>\n

In 1895\u2026northwest Bora winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 58 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1966\u2026cold northwest wind gusts of 50 to 90 mph occurred across metro Denver.\u00a0 Both cars and trucks were blown off an icy highway just east of Denver where some highways were closed by either blowing dust or blowing snow.\u00a0 A northwest wind gust to 43 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The strong winds caused limited minor damage.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026winds gusted to 55 mph in Boulder causing no reported damage.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 49 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026snow struck metro Denver.\u00a0 Heaviest hit was Boulder where 6 to 8 inches were measured.\u00a0 Icy roads caused the closure of I-25 north and south of Denver due to traffic accidents.\u00a0 The snow also caused long delays at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled only 2.6 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026west winds gusted to 52 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

3-4<\/p>\n

In 1932\u2026a dust storm occurred on the 3rd during the late afternoon.\u00a0 North winds gusting as high as 38 mph behind a cold front kicked up much blowing dust.\u00a0 Light snow developed during the evening and continued through the early morning of the 4th.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 2.7 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1934\u2026strong winds raked Boulder.\u00a0 A wind gust to 62 mph was recorded at Valmont just east of Boulder.\u00a0 The strong winds caused hundreds of dollars of damage in Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026the most vigorous snow storm of the season struck the state\u2026closing many schools and most highways connecting Denver\u2026Colorado springs\u2026 And Limon.\u00a0 North winds gusting to 43 mph whipped nearly 10 inches of snow in Denver into 3-foot drifts and snarled traffic on the morning of the 4th.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 9.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026a storm dumped 2 to 6 inches of snow across metro Denver.\u00a0 The snow caused 2-hour air traffic delays at Stapleton International Airport where 3.0 inches of snow fell and north winds gusted to 23 mph on the 3rd.\u00a0 There were many traffic accidents across metro Denver.\u00a0 I-70 was closed east of Denver for a time on the 3rd.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026high winds raked the eastern foothills.\u00a0 Wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph were common with 119 mph recorded at Wondervu southwest of Boulder\u2026106 mph on Shanahan ridge and 92 mph at Table Mesa\u2026both in southwest Boulder. Several trees were uprooted and traffic signs and lights blown over.\u00a0 Flying debris caused damage to homes\u2026 Buildings\u2026and cars.\u00a0 In Boulder\u2026 A stop sign was blown onto a car.\u00a0 There were no reports of injuries.\u00a0 Southwest winds gusting as high as 48 mph briefly reduced the prevailing visibility to as low as 1\/16th mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport on the 4th.<\/p>\n

3-5<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026snowfall totaled 8.3 inches at Stapleton Airport over the 3-day period with most of the snow\u20264.4 inches\u2026\u00a0 Falling on the 3rd.\u00a0 Winds were generally light gusting to only 23 mph.
\n4<\/p>\n

In 1887\u2026snowfall was only 0.1 inch.\u00a0 This was the earliest last measurable snow of the season.<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026a wind gust to 102 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.\u00a0 A wind gust to 83 mph was measured at the National Bureau of Standards. In downtown Boulder\u2026sustained winds reached 35 mph with gusts as high as 57 mph.\u00a0 No significant damage was reported.\u00a0 West winds gusted to only 28 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026brief heavy snow accompanied by a few thunderstorms struck metro Denver.\u00a0 Lightning struck a house in Arvada setting it afire.\u00a0 The thunderstorm produced 5 inches of snowfall in a 2-hour period in Wheat Ridge.\u00a0 The snow made roads very icy and slick causing a 59-car pile-up on I-70 in north Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall with thunder totaled only 1.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026a fast moving pacific storm produced heavy snow in the foothills.\u00a0 Snowfall at conifer measured 9 inches. Only light snow fell elsewhere over metro Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled only 1.2 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 North northeast winds gusted to 28 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

4-5<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026heavy post-frontal snowfall totaled 7.7 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 28 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026snow spread from the mountains into the eastern foothills where 19 inches fell in Coal Creek Canyon. Rain fell over lower elevations of metro Denver with 1.12 inches of precipitation recorded at Stapleton International Airport and only one half inch of snow. North winds gusted to 32 mph.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026snowfall totaled 1.8 inches at the Denver Stapleton site.\u00a0 This was the only measurable snowfall of the month.\u00a0 Northeast winds gusted to 29 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

4-6<\/p>\n

In 1931\u2026a cold front with north winds gusting to 35 mph on the evening of the 4th brought snowfall on the 5th into the early morning of the 6th.\u00a0 Heavy snowfall totaled 6.2 inches.\u00a0 Temperatures plunged from a high of 58 degrees on the 4th to a low of only 22 degrees by midnight\u2026which was also the high reading on the 5th.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026a slow moving moisture laden storm produced heavy snow and rain.\u00a0 Two to three feet of snow fell in the foothills at Wondervu and Nederland.\u00a0 The southern portion of metro Denver was buried with 26 inches of snow in southeast Aurora\u202625 inches at Franktown\u2026 And 19 inches at Littleton.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 18.7 inches at Stapleton International Airport with most of the snow\u202618.0 inches\u2026\u00a0 Falling on the 5th.\u00a0 Brighton received only 11 inches of new snow.\u00a0 Boulder was drenched by rain and received no snow.\u00a0 Precipitation from the storm totaled 3.06 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 28 mph.\u00a0 The heavy wet snow snapped many tree limbs\u2026which fell on power and phone lines causing many outages.\u00a0 Numerous highways were closed.\u00a0 Two thousand travelers were stranded at Stapleton International Airport where only one runway was open for a time.\u00a0 Many flights were canceled.\u00a0 One home in Denver was severely damaged when its roof collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow.\u00a0 The 2.68 inches of precipitation on the 5th was the greatest calendar day precipitation ever recorded in the city during March.\u00a0 The 2.79 inches of precipitation on the 4th and 5th was the greatest 24 hour precipitation ever measured during March.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

In 1887\u2026the longest snow-free period on record\u2026232 days\u2026\u00a0 Began.\u00a0 The last measurable snowfall of the season\u20260.1 inch\u2026occurred on the 4th.\u00a0 The first measurable snow of the next season\u20260.3 inch\u2026 Occurred on October 23rd.<\/p>\n

In 1900\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 51 mph with gusts to 60 mph.\u00a0 The strong Bora winds warmed the temperature to a high of 44 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1926\u2026post-frontal north winds were sustained to 44 mph with gusts as high as 54 mph.\u00a0 The cold front also produced a thunderstorm.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026the southern portion of metro Denver was hit by a line of thunderstorms.\u00a0 Heavy rain\u20260.90 to 2.40 inches\u2026\u00a0 And pea to marble size hail piled to a depth of 2 to 3 inches over portions of northern and eastern Douglas and western Arapahoe counties.\u00a0 Thunderstorm winds to 50 mph were clocked at Centennial airport.\u00a0 Thunderstorm rainfall was 0.62 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

5-6<\/p>\n

In 1935\u20263.0 inches of snow fell in downtown Denver.\u00a0 This was the only measurable snow of the month.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusted to 29 mph on the 5th.<\/p>\n

In 1940\u2026heavy snowfall totaled 9.1 inches over downtown Denver.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 22 mph.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026high winds developed in and near the foothills just prior to the passage of an upper level storm system moving in from the west.\u00a0 Peak gusts from the windstorm included:\u00a0 88 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research near Boulder\u202682 mph in Boulder\u2026 80 mph at the National Wind Technology Center south of Boulder\u202679 mph on Rocky Flats\u2026and 71 mph in Golden Gate Canyon. Several power lines were downed causing a few brief outages.\u00a0 Thunderstorms produced southeast wind gusts to 51 mph at Denver International Airport on the 5th.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026high winds spread from the mountains down the eastern slopes.\u00a0 The highest wind gusts were 85 mph atop the Gamow Tower on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder and 70 mph at the National Wind Technology Center on Rocky Flats west of Broomfield. West winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International Airport on the 6th.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wild weather is a fact of life in Denver and in Colorado in general.\u00a0 We see that consistently in the history books and this week demonstrates that.\u00a0 As usual we see high wind events and extreme cold.\u00a0 Also notable is that as we enter the month of March, we start to see occurrences of those … Continue reading February 28 to March 5: This week in Denver weather history<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[81,106,62,223,235,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16173"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16173"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16193,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16173\/revisions\/16193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}