{"id":17536,"date":"2017-05-01T16:53:55","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T22:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=17536"},"modified":"2017-05-01T16:55:13","modified_gmt":"2017-05-01T22:55:13","slug":"april-30-to-may-6-this-week-in-denver-weather-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/thornton-weather\/april-30-to-may-6-this-week-in-denver-weather-history\/","title":{"rendered":"April 30 to May 6: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This<\/a>
April 30 to May 6: This week in Denver weather history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May can bring a variety of conditions from snow and cold to severe thunderstorms and flooding rains. Looking back at this week in Denver weather history we see where all of those events have made an appearance in our past.<\/p>\n

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

29-30<\/p>\n

In 1964\u2026several weeks of dry weather and windy conditions across the Great Plains to the east caused noticeable suspended dust to invade metro Denver. At Stapleton International Airport east winds gusted to 28 mph and visibility was reduced to 5 miles.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026a late season snowstorm dropped 2 to 4 inches of snow across metro Denver with 6 to 12 inches in the foothills. Snowfall totaled 3.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 23 mph and the greatest snow depth on the ground was 2 inches due to melting.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026a pacific storm dumped heavy wet snow across metro Denver. The foothills were hit the hardest where snowfall amounts ranged from 16 inches at Evergreen to 5 inches at Idaho Springs. Lower elevations of metro Denver received 5 to 9 inches of snowfall with 5 inches in Boulder and 7.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 25 mph. The weight of the snow caused power lines to fall and tree limbs to snap\u2026producing power outages in parts of Denver\u2026Aurora\u2026and Westminster.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026heavy snow fell overnight in the foothills above 7500 feet elevation. Snowfall totals included: 13 inches near Rollinsville\u202610 inches near Evergreen\u20268 inches at Blackhawk and Nederland\u2026and 7 inches at Conifer. Only rain fell across the city with 2.13 inches recorded at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

29-2<\/p>\n

In 1954\u2026a major storm dumped 10.1 inches of snowfall at Stapleton Airport. Most of the snow\u20267.5 inches\u2026fell on the 29th and 30th. The maximum snow depth on the ground was 5 inches on the 30th due to melting. No strong winds accompanied the storm.<\/p>\n

30<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 55 mph with gusts as high as 64 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1960\u2026the minimum temperature dipped to 22 degrees at Stapleton Airport. The sub-freezing cold damaged fruit trees and some other crops in the area.<\/p>\n

In 1967\u2026west winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Winds were strong and gusty across all of metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026hail 1\/2 to 3\/4 inches in diameter fell at Stapleton International Airport. Northwest winds gusted to 35 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026a cold air funnel touched down several times near Louisville.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026mothball-size hail fell in Wheat Ridge.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026the all-time highest recorded temperature in April\u2026 90 degrees\u2026occurred. This is also the earliest 90 degree reading for the season. In addition\u2026the temperature dipped to a low of only 56 degrees\u2026setting a record high minimum for the date.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026hail\u2026up to 3\/4 inch in diameter\u2026fell at Denver International Airport. The hail was soft\u2026lasted for only 8 to 10 minutes\u2026and caused no damage.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026drought conditions started to have an effect on greater metro Denver. April\u2026normally the third snowiest month of the year in Denver averaging just over 9 inches of snow\u2026ended with only a trace of snow\u2026ranking the month\u2026 Along with previous Aprils\u2026the 2nd least snowiest on record. The month ended with only 0.23 inch of liquid precipitation making the month the 3rd driest on record. Mountain snowpack was less than half of normal for this time of year. A statewide drought emergency was declared by the governor.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026a small tornado touched down 10 miles east of Hudson\u2026 But did no damage. Hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in Aurora near Cherry Creek.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026post-frontal upslope flow produced light snowfall across metro Denver. Snowfall was 4.0 inches at Denver Stapleton\u2026while the temperature hovered in the lower 30\u2019s all day. The high temperature was only 33 degrees\u2026a record low maximum for the date. The low temperature of 30 degrees was not a record. North winds gusted to 20 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

30-1<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026to the west of Denver\u2026heavy rain changing to snow buried the foothills above 7 thousand feet in 4 to 8 inches of snow. Precipitation in the foothills ranged from 1 to 3 inches\u2026which caused some local flooding. Rain fell at lower elevations. Rainfall at Stapleton International Airport totaled 1.05 inches from the storm.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

In 1902\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 68 mph with gusts as high as 74 mph in the city during the early morning. The apparent very strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 78 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1912\u2026south winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph. South to southwest winds were strong all afternoon.<\/p>\n

In 1935\u2026a moderate duststorm blew into the city at around 2:00 pm on northwest winds sustained to 17 mph with gusts to 19 mph. Later in the afternoon\u2026the dust receded to the east in advance of a rainstorm from the west.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026very strong winds behind a vigorous cold front produced a blinding dust storm that closed I-70 east of Denver. Northeast winds over metro Denver peaked to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport\u2026but only kicked up some blowing dust. The temperature plunged from a high of 76 degrees at midday to 36 degrees at midnight as light rain changed to light snow.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail fell at Standley Lake in northwest metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026heavy snow developed in the foothills above 7 thousand feet elevation. Snow totals included: 10 inches at Rollinsville\u20267 inches near conifer\u2026and 6 inches atop Crow Hill. Rain fell across metro Denver.<\/p>\n

1-2<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026post-frontal rain changed to light snow overnight\u2026 But totaled only 2.0 inches. This was the last snow of the season. Northeast winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 48 mph on the 1st.<\/p>\n

1-5<\/p>\n

In 1898\u2026snowfall totaled 15.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow\u20266.2 inches\u2026fell 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.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

In 1874\u2026strong winds upset two railroad passenger coaches near Georgetown. The baggage was retrieved and placed in a heavy\u2026large wagon. The passengers then seated themselves on top of the baggage. Another strong gust of wind upset the wagon. The driver\u2019s shoulder was dislocated\u2026and a passenger\u2019s leg was badly injured. In Denver\u2026northwest winds increased and blew in gusts and heavy winds were observed on the ridge tops. On the Kansas Pacific R.R. east of Denver\u2026the wind was so strong that it blew the train back several lengths\u2026which caused the train to be about 7 hours late arriving in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1901\u2026south winds were sustained to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph from an apparent thunderstorm with hail.<\/p>\n

In 1944\u2026snowfall of 8.3 inches was accompanied by a thunderstorm. This was the last snowfall of the season and the only snow of the month. Northwest winds were sustained to 25 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1955\u2026southwest winds at speeds of 37 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u20261 inch diameter hail fell a few miles south of Bennett.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail fell in Northglenn.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026I-70 east of Denver was closed for the second straight day\u2026this time due to snow and blowing snow producing up to 2 foot drifts. While only 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across metro Denver\u2026Strasburg\u2026just east of Denver\u2026received a foot of snow. North winds peaked to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled only 1.3 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026lightning struck a house in Westminster sparking an attic fire.<\/p>\n

2-3<\/p>\n

In 1979\u2026heavy rain changed to snow on the 2nd. Snowfall totaled 3.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport\u2026 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.<\/p>\n

2-4<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026a slow moving storm brought rain\u2026wind\u2026and 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.<\/p>\n

2-5<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026a very slow moving pacific storm system became parked near the four corners region\u2026which 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\u2026Genesee\u2026and 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.<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

In 1898\u2026heavy snowfall of 6.2 inches fell over downtown Denver. Most of the snow melted as it fell. The greatest snow depth on the ground was 2.5 inches during the evening.<\/p>\n

In 1907\u2026the all-time lowest recorded temperature in the month of May\u202619 degrees\u2026occurred.<\/p>\n

In 1925\u2026an apparent microburst produced sustained northeast winds to 44 mph with gusts to 52 mph. Rainfall was only 0.01 inch in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026lightning struck 9 golfers at the south suburban golf course. None were injured seriously.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026hail 1 1\/2 inches in diameter fell at Green Mountain west of Lakewood\u2026with 3\/4 inch stones reported in Lakewood.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

3-5<\/p>\n

In 1908\u2026rain changed to snow on the evening of the 3rd and continued through the early evening of the 5th. Snowfall totaled 10.0 inches over downtown Denver. This was the last measurable snow of the season. Precipitation totaled 1.51 inches. North winds were sustained to 23 mph on the 3rd\u202633 mph on the 4th\u2026and 21 mph on the 5th. Three temperature records were set. High temperatures of 30 degrees on the 4th and 38 degrees on the 5th were record low maximum temperatures for the dates. The reading on the 4th was also the all-time record low maximum for the month of May.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026a slow moving pacific storm system\u2026from the desert southwest\u2026brought a period of unsettled weather to the region. During the 3-day period\u2026locally heavy snow was reported over parts of the Front Range foothills. Storm totals included: 15 inches near Conifer\u202614.5 inches west of Jamestown\u202613.5 inches; 6 miles southwest of Evergreen\u2026and 12.5 inches at Pine Junction. Severe thunderstorms\u2026producing large hail\u2026up to one inch in diameter were observed in the vicinity of Boulder and Hudson. Lightning struck a residence in Jefferson County. The roof was hit\u2026causing the attic to catch fire. At Denver International Airport\u2026lightning struck a United Airlines jet as it was pushing away from the gate. The passengers were taken off the jet and put on another plane.<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

In 1893\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026a funnel cloud was sighted 10 miles southwest of Boulder. Hail stones to 1 inch in diameter fell in southeast Denver\u2026but caused only minor damage.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced hail to 1.00 inch in diameter in Aurora near Cheery Creek Reservoir.<\/p>\n

In 2010\u2026high winds downed trees and power lines across parts of the Front Range foothills and urban corridor. Downed power lines sparked a 12-acre wildfire near Conifer. In Boulder\u2026Longmont and Louisville\u2026the wind damaged roofs and broke windows and skylights. Peak wind gusts included: 75 mph in northwest Longmont\u202671 mph at the national wind technology center and 4 miles south-southwest of Superior\u202661 mph at Broomfield and 56 mph in Erie. At Denver International Airport\u2026a peak wind gust to 46 mph was observed.<\/p>\n

<\/span>4-5<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026high winds buffeted the foothills. Wind speeds of 60 to 75 mph were recorded in Boulder. At Stapleton International Airport\u2026west winds gusted to 45 mph on the 4th and to 40 mph on the 5th.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026a brief warm spell resulted in setting two daily high temperature records. The temperature climbed to highs of 87 degrees on the 4th and 89 degrees on the 5th.<\/p>\n

4-8<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026heavy rains caused flooding on Boulder Creek in Boulder\u2026which resulted in one death on the 7th. Flooding also occurred on bear creek in Sheridan and on the South Platte River in Denver. Rain over most of the eastern foothills started late on the 4th and continued with only brief interruptions in many areas until the morning of the 8th. Very high rates of rainfall occurred on the 6th and 7th with the greatest intensities in a band along the foothills from about 25 miles southwest of Denver northward to Estes Park. Storm totals by both official and unofficial measurements exceeded 10 inches over much of this area and were over 12 inches in some localities. Heavy snow fell in the higher mountains and in the foothills later in the period. The saturation of the soil resulted in numerous rock and land slides\u2026and the heavy run-off caused severe damage along many streams and flooding on the South Platte River. Many foothill communities were isolated as highways were blocked and communications disrupted. Roads were severely damaged over a wide area\u2026and a large number of bridges washed out. Many roads were closed due to the danger from falling rocks. A building in Georgetown collapsed from the weight of heavy wet snow. In Boulder\u2026a man drowned when caught by the flooding waters of Boulder Creek\u2026and a patrolman was injured. Rainfall totaled 7.60 inches in Boulder with 9.34 inches recorded at the Public Service Company electric plant in Boulder Canyon. In Morrison\u2026rainfall totaled 11.27 inches in 4 days. Heavy rainfall totaled 4.68 inches at Stapleton International Airport over 3 days from the 5th through the 7th. Rainfall of 3.14 inches was recorded in 24 hours on the 6th and 7th. Downstream flooding continued along the South Platte River until the 12th when the flood crest reached the Nebraska line.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026apparent post-frontal northeast winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1950\u2026a northwest wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026a funnel cloud was observed for 2 to 3 minutes just north of Parker. Two other funnel clouds were sighted in the same area. The public sighted a tornado 15 miles east of Stapleton International Airport. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 2012\u2026Severe thunderstorms produced damaging hail ranging in size from quarters to golfballs in metro Denver including: Aurora, Centennial, Cherry Creek, Englewood, and southeast Denver. Aurora was hit the hardest, with extensive property damage reported to homes and automobiles.<\/p>\n

5-6<\/p>\n

In 1907\u2026rain changed to snow on the 5th\u2026continued through the night\u2026and totaled 3.50 inches. Northeast winds were sustained to 15 mph on the 5th.<\/p>\n

In 1917\u2026post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow and totaled 12.5 inches over downtown Denver. Most of the snow\u2026 12.0 inches\u2026fell on the 5th and this was the greatest 24-hour snowfall ever measured during the month of May. This was also the only measurable snow of the month that year. Low temperatures of 27 degrees on the 5th and 23 degrees on the 6th were record minimums for the dates. High temperatures on both days were in the lower 40\u2019s. Southeast winds were sustained to 24 mph with an extreme velocity to 26 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1964\u2026high winds gusted to 54 mph in Boulder and to 80 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield. Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were common over all of eastern Colorado. Buildings\u2026power lines\u2026trees\u2026and vehicles were damaged by the wind. South-southwest wind gusts to 54 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport where the visibility was briefly reduced to 2 miles.<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026a heavy driving rain storm with embedded thunderstorms\u2026produced 1 to 5 inches of rain and caused local flash flooding along the east slopes of the Front Range. The greatest flash flooding occurred in metro Denver where rainfall totaled 3.56 inches at Stapleton International Airport. Flooding in metro Denver occurred on clear creek and the South Platte River\u2026already swollen from heavy snowmelt. Numerous basements were flooded\u2026 Roads and streets were washed out\u2026a bridge was demolished\u2026 And miscellaneous other damage was reported. North winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport during the storm. The storm produced major downstream flooding along the South Platte River all the way to the Nebraska border during the next two weeks. One person died and total damage was estimated at around 120 million dollars.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u2026heavy wet snow of around 24 inches collapsed an office and hotel building in Boulder. Many cars were abandoned in the city. Denver received 14 inches of heavy wet snow with Evergreen and Golden reporting 12 inches. Snowfall totaled 12.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport with a total accumulation of snow on the ground of 8 inches due to melting. Southeast winds gusted to 23 mph on the 5th. Temperatures both days remained in the lower to mid 30\u2019s.<\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

In 1876\u2026heavy snow fell during the night and ended during the morning\u2026but no amount was recorded. Light hail fell briefly during the late afternoon. Precipitation for the day totaled 1.05 inch which would give an estimated snowfall of nearly 11 inches had all of the precipitation been snow.<\/p>\n

In 1889\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1893\u2026heavy snow of 8.9 inches fell over downtown Denver. Once on the ground\u2026the snow melted rapidly. This was the only snow of the month. Northwest winds were sustained to 20 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026west winds were sustained to 45 mph with an extreme velocity to 46 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1914\u2026an apparent dry microburst produced sustained north winds to 44 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1920\u2026a thunderstorm produced hail and 0.55 inch of rain. The hail of unknown size covered the ground.<\/p>\n

In 1921\u2026thunderstorm winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 44 mph. Rainfall was only 0.17 inch.<\/p>\n

In 1936\u2026a light to moderate duststorm moved in from the east on southeast winds and lasted most of the day. The dust reduced the visibility to two miles at times. Winds from the northwest sustained to 21 mph swept the dust out of the city during the late afternoon.<\/p>\n

In 1966\u2026a funnel cloud was sighted for 7 minutes to the southwest of Stapleton International Airport. The funnel appeared to be picking up dust from the ground\u2026but was too distant to tell. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1968\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026high winds raked the state. Wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph in Boulder\u2026Aurora\u2026and at centennial airport. South-southwest winds to 53 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport. Across metro Denver\u2026the strong winds knocked windows out of buildings\u2026downed power poles and wires and some fences\u2026unroofed several buildings\u2026and damaged signs.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026strong winds from a dry microburst blew an empty 18-wheeler on its side in the northbound lane of I-25 north of Denver near the Brighton exit. There were no injuries. West winds gusted to 46 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

6-7<\/p>\n

In 1873\u2026snowfall totaled 8.9 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the 6th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May can bring a variety of conditions from snow and cold to severe thunderstorms and flooding rains. Looking back at this week in Denver weather history we see where all of those events have made an appearance in our past. From the National Weather Service: 29-30 In 1964\u2026several weeks of dry weather and windy conditions … Continue reading April 30 to May 6: 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":[7],"tags":[380,81,106,62,387,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536"}],"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=17536"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17538,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17536\/revisions\/17538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}