{"id":18987,"date":"2018-09-13T09:58:25","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T15:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=18987"},"modified":"2018-09-13T16:54:30","modified_gmt":"2018-09-13T22:54:30","slug":"september-9-to-september-15-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/september-9-to-september-15-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"September 9 to September 15: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This<\/a>
This week in Denver weather history: September 9 to September 15<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our look back at this week is shorter than usual owing to the calmer weather we typically see this time of year. That isn\u2019t to say however that there aren\u2019t notable events like a tornado, lightning at the Adams County Fairgrounds that severely injured a man and the Fourmile Canyon wildfire.<\/p>\n

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

5-9<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026layers of smoke aloft from large forest fires in Yellowstone National Park completely obliterated the sun at times. At Stapleton International Airport\u2026surface visibility was reduced at times to 5 and 6 miles in smoke.<\/p>\n

5-13<\/p>\n

In 2010\u2026the Fourmile Canyon wildfire\u2026northwest of Boulder\u2026 Broke out on the morning of the 5th. It originated from an unattended fire pit at a local residence. The wildfire quickly consumed 5 1\/2 square miles or 3500 acres the first day\u2026and forced the evacuation of over three thousand residents. Erratic 45-mph gusts sent the fire in two directions at times. Very dry weather conditions preceded the fire. The combination of strong winds\u2026low relative humidities and dry fuels allowed the wildfire spread rapidly through the steep\u2026heavily forested terrain. The flames were reportedly 20 to 50 feet in length. Towns within the burn area included Salina\u2026Wallstreet and Gold Hill. The dry conditions coupled with gusty winds ranging from 45 to 64 mph persisted for several more days. Fire managers used as many as 700 firefighters and support personnel from 35 agencies and seven air tankers to battle the wildfire. A total of 6181 square acres or approximately 10 square miles were burned. The Fourmile Canyon wildfire was the most destructive fire in Colorado history in terms of the damage to personal property. It destroyed 171 homes with an estimated cost of 217 million dollars.<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

In 1933\u2026heavy rain in the foothills over the clear creek and Golden Gate Canyon watersheds caused flooding in Golden and damaged the roadway in Golden Gate Canyon\u2026 Which resulted in its closure.<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026a funnel cloud was sighted in southeast Denver. There was also considerable thunderstorm activity and local heavy rain across metro Denver. Rainfall totaled 1.30 inches at Stapleton International Airport where small hail also fell.<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026hail from 3\/4 inch to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter fell in Westminster and south of Broomfield.<\/p>\n

In 2009\u2026a man was critically injured when he was struck by lightning while riding his bicycle. He was nearing a paramedic van when he was hit. His heart stopped but paramedics quickly responded and were able to resuscitate him.<\/p>\n

In 2011\u2026a man was struck by lightning at the Adams County fairgrounds. He was leaning against a tree while watching a cross country meet when the tree was hit. The lightning traveled down the tree and up through the ground\u2026using him as a conductor. The victim received second and third degree burns.<\/p>\n

9-10<\/p>\n

In 1933\u2026heavy rain over the Cherry Creek\u2026plum creek\u2026big dry creek\u2026and little dry creek watersheds caused flooding on the South Platte River in Denver overnight. Nearly an inch of rain\u20260.98 inch\u2026fell in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1944\u2026a trace of rain fell on each day. This together with a trace of rain on the 4th and 30th was the only precipitation for the month. The total of a trace of precipitation for the month equaled the driest September on record first set in 1892.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026unusually very warm weather resulted in three temperature records being equaled. High temperatures of 94 degrees on the 9th and 93 degrees on the 10th equaled record maximums for the dates. Low temperature of 63 degrees on the 9th equaled the record high minimum for the date.<\/p>\n

<\/span>10<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026golf ball size hail was reported just east of Parker.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail fell in Littleton. Heavy rain produced local flooding in Lakewood. The heavy rain caused the wall of a house to collapse.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026thunderstorm winds downed power lines\u2026which caused a power outage in Castle Rock.<\/p>\n

11<\/p>\n

In 1910\u2026west winds were sustained to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026a vigorous Canadian cold front produced a dust storm across metro Denver. Northeast wind gusts to 43 mph reduced the visibility at Stapleton Airport to as low as 1 1\/2 miles for nearly 5 hours. The temperature dropped 47 degrees in 8 hours\u2026from a high of 92 degrees to a low of 45 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1967\u2026a microburst wind gust to 52 mph produced blowing dust and briefly reduced the visibility to 1\/2 mile at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026a trace of snow\u2026the first of the season\u2026ended the shortest period without snow\u202694 days from June 9th through September 10th. A trace of snow also fell on June 8th.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026strong post-frontal winds associated with a fast moving pacific cold front knocked down power poles and trees as it moved through metro Denver. Numerous power outages affected nearly one thousand people in Denver and Jefferson counties. West winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

11-16<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026a deep southerly flow over Colorado\u2026 Ahead of a nearly stationary low pressure system over the great basin\u2026 Pumped copious amounts of monsoonal moisture into the area. In addition\u2026a weak stationary front stretched along the Front Range foothills and Palmer Divide.\u00a0 This resulted in a prolonged period of moderate to heavy rain across the Front Range foothills\u2026Palmer Divide\u2026urban corridor. By the 14th\u2026storm totals ranged from 6 to 18 inches\u2026 Highest in the foothills of Boulder County. The headwaters then moved down the South Platte River and caused widespread flooding with record flood stages at several locations as it made its way downstream.\u00a0 The record high flood stages resulted in widespread flooding along the South Platte River basin. The flood damage encompassed 4500 square miles of the Front Range\u2026left 7 dead\u2026 Forced thousands to evacuate\u2026and destroyed thousands of homes and farms. Record amounts of rainfall generated flash floods that tore up roads and lines of communication\u2026 Leaving many stranded. Nearly 19000 homes were damaged\u2026 And over 1500 destroyed. Colorado department of transportation estimated at least 30 state highway bridges were destroyed and an additional 20 seriously damaged. Preliminary assessments of the state`s infrastructure showed damage of $40 million to roads and $112 million to bridges. Repair costs for state and county roads ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Miles of freight and passenger rail lines were washed out or submerged\u2026 Including a section servicing Amtrak`s iconic California Zephyr. The town of Lyons was isolated by the flooding of St. Vrain creek\u2026and several earth dams along the Front Range burst or were over-topped. Floodwaters swept through Estes Park; damaged hundreds of buildings and destroyed large sections of U.S. 34 from Loveland and U.S. 36 from Lyons to Boulder. U.S. 34 suffered the most damage\u2026 With 85 percent of its roadway and bridges destroyed. In Weld County\u2026about nearly two thousand gas wells were damaged and had to be closed off as the floodwaters inundated entire communities. Sewage treatment plants and other utilities were knocked out in a number of towns. Governor Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency on September 13th\u2026in 11 counties across northeast Colorado including:\u00a0 Adams\u2026Arapahoe\u2026Broomfield\u2026Boulder\u2026Denver\u2026 \u00a0Jefferson\u2026Larimer\u2026Logan\u2026Morgan\u2026 Washington and Weld. By the 15th\u2026federal emergency declarations covered those counties as well as Clear Creek County. Projected losses from the flooding statewide was nearly two billion dollars in property damage\u2026according to Eqecat\u2026 A catastrophe modeling firm.\u00a0 The damage was most severe in and around Lyons and Boulder.\u00a0 More than 11 thousand people were evacuated\u2026reportedly the largest since Hurricane Katrina. President Obama declared a state of emergency for Boulder and Larimer counties.\u00a0 An additional 10 counties were added on the 16th and included: Adams\u2026 Arapahoe\u2026Broomfield\u2026Clear Creek\u2026Denver\u2026Jefferson\u2026 \u00a0Morgan\u2026Logan\u2026 Washington and Weld counties. The president also declared a major disaster specifically for Boulder County.\u00a0 There were six fatalities directly attributed to flash flooding. Two 19-yr old teenagers died on the 11th\u2026after they were swept away by floodwaters after abandoning their car on Lindon Drive in Boulder. In Jamestown\u2026a 72-yr old man was killed when the building he was in collapsed. An 80-yr old Lyons resident died in the early morning hours of the 12th\u2026when his truck was swept into the St. Vrain River near his home. Later on the 12th\u2026a 79-yr old Larimer County resident was killed when she was swept away while trying to climb to safety from her home in Cedar Point. A 61-yr old cedar point resident died when her home was swept down the Big Thompson River by the floodwaters. An 80-yr old Idaho Springs resident drowned in Clear Creek when the embankment he was standing on collapsed. In Boulder\u2026some of the monthly records broken included: one-day all-time record: 9.08 inches which shattered the previous wettest day of 4.8 inches set on July 31\u2026 1919; one-month record of 18.16 inches\u2026which broke the previous all-time monthly record of 9.59 inches set in May of 1995; wettest September on record which broke the previous record of 5.5 inches set in September of 1940; one-year record of 34.15 inches broke the previous wettest year of 29.93 inches set in 1995. At Denver International Airport\u2026the total precipitation for the month of September was 5.61 inches\u2026which was 4.65 inches above the normal of 0.96 inches. This is the most precipitation ever recorded in Denver for the month of September. Daily precipitation records included 1.11 inches on the 12th and 2.01 inches on the 14th.<\/p>\n

11-12<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026post-frontal rain changed to snow overnight for the first snow of the season. Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 40 mph on the 11th. High temperature of only 46 degrees on the 12th set a new record low maximum for the date.<\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

In 1887\u2026west winds to 42 mph were recorded in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1952\u2026a thunderstorm outflow produced strong southeast winds gusting to 52 mph. Surface visibility at Stapleton Airport was briefly reduced to 2 miles in blowing dust.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026a nearly stationary\u2026white tornado near Bennett was sighted from Denver. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026an early snowfall and the first of the season brought 2 to 3 inches of slush to metro Denver. More snow whitened the foothills west of Denver where 6 inches were measured at Evergreen. The snow fell on leaf laden trees\u2026 And sagging branches onto power lines caused outages. Much of Denver\u2019s snow fell during the evening rush hour\u2026creating traffic chaos. Snowfall totaled 2.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the maximum snow depth on the ground was only 1 inch due to melting.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026thunderstorm microburst winds gusted to 67 mph in Boulder. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 1 inch in diameter near Castle Rock.<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

In 1899\u2026west winds were sustained to 43 mph with gusts to 46 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1928\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 45 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1937\u2026an apparent dry microburst produced brief north winds sustained to 31 mph with gusts to 41 mph. There was a trace of rain.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026torrential rains drenched both the foothills and plains from Denver north. While the heaviest rain occurred north of Denver\u2026just east of Denver 2 1\/3 inches of rain fell in 5 hours along with hail that caused minor damage to a few airplanes. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.83 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026an upper level system combined with a cold and moist upslope flow to bring the heaviest snowfall to metro Denver for so early in the season. Snowfall from the storm totaled 5.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport; however\u2026most of the snow melted as it fell leaving a maximum of one inch on the ground at any one time. North winds gusted to 21 mph at Stapleton International Airport where a record low temperature of 33 degrees for the date was observed.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026Friday the 13th proved to be bad luck for several motorists when heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused flooding on I-25 in central Denver. Water rose several feet under the Logan Street overpass\u2026inundating several vehicles. Some motorists were rescued\u2026while others simply waited atop their cars for the flood water to recede. The highway had to be closed in both directions for about 3 hours. The flooding was exacerbated by poor drainage due to the construction along the highway. A 12-foot drainage pipe had not yet been installed beneath the underpass. The deluge also flooded several businesses along Broadway.<\/p>\n

In 2009\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced large hail\u2026up to half dollar size in the foothills of Jefferson County\u2026west of Denver.<\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

In 1912\u2026snow fell for most of the day\u2026but melted as it fell. Precipitation from melted snow was 0.46 inch. Some sleet was also observed. Total precipitation was 0.61 inch. North winds were sustained to 15 mph with gusts to 17 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1934\u2026a moderate dust storm blew into the city at 4:15 pm. North winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 44 mph. By 5:25 pm the winds had decreased and the storm had ended. A trace of rain fell during the evening.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026a tornado touched down just west of I-25 between Arapahoe Road and Dry Creek Road\u2026tearing the roof from a house. Nearby\u2026a high tension wire fell on a house causing damage\u2026and lightning ripped a hole in the side of a house. Three tornadoes were observed just east of Stapleton International Airport and northeast of Buckley Field. No damage was reported. Dime to quarter size hail fell in northeast Denver with only 1\/4 inch hail at Stapleton International Airport. The Colorado state patrol reported golf ball size hail 4 miles west of Franktown. A funnel cloud was sighted 4 miles north of Franktown.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026a thunderstorm produced winds gusts as high as 56 mph across metro Denver along with thick blowing dust. Power was knocked out in many locations. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 49 mph briefly reduced the visibility to 2 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026a 54-year-old woman was struck by lightning near Franktown\u2026as she was preparing an outdoor barbeque. The woman was knocked unconscious\u2026but received only minor injuries. Thunderstorms over southern Jefferson County dumped heavy rain in the buffalo creek area. Some minor roads were washed out by flash flooding\u2026but no other damage was reported. Hail ranging in size from 1\/2 to 3\/4 inch in diameter fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a microburst from a thunderstorm produced sustained winds to 40 mph with gusts to 53 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

15<\/p>\n

In 1921\u2026rainfall of 0.02 inch was the only measurable precipitation of the month.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026the public reported a funnel cloud and golf ball size hail east of Parker.<\/p>\n

15-17<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026unusually hot weather for so late in the season occurred when temperatures climbed into the 90\u2019s setting daily record maximum temperatures on each of the 3 days. The high temperature was 92 degrees on the 15th and 95 degrees on both the 16th and 17th.<\/p>\n

15-19<\/p>\n

In 1906\u2026rain on 5 consecutive days totaled 1.61 inches. A thunderstorm occurred on the 17th. High temperatures ranged from 48 degrees on the 16th to 65 degrees on the 15th. Low temperatures were in the lower to mid 40\u2019s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our look back at this week is shorter than usual owing to the calmer weather we typically see this time of year. That isn\u2019t to say however that there aren\u2019t notable events like a tornado, lightning at the Adams County Fairgrounds that severely injured a man and the Fourmile Canyon wildfire. From the National Weather … Continue reading September 9 to September 15: 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":[81,62,441,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18987"}],"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=18987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18988,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18987\/revisions\/18988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}