{"id":21226,"date":"2020-12-30T05:10:50","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T12:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=21226"},"modified":"2020-12-31T06:22:36","modified_gmt":"2020-12-31T13:22:36","slug":"december-27-to-january-2-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/december-27-to-january-2-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3\/","title":{"rendered":"December 27 to January 2: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"This<\/a><\/p>\n

Snow and wind are the two dominant weather conditions seen on our look back at this week in Denver weather history. \u00a0Fourteen years ago, the second of two major winter storms buried Denver and closed highways. \u00a0Thirteen years ago, damaging winds that downed trees and caused power outages occurred.<\/p>\n

25-31<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026temperatures were unusually warm during the week between Christmas and new year\u2019s.\u00a0 High temperatures for the week ranged from the mid-50\u2019s to the mid-70\u2019s.\u00a0 Four temperature records were set.\u00a0 Record highs occurred on the 26th with 68 degrees\u2026the 27th with 75 degrees\u2026and the 30th with 71 degrees.\u00a0 A record high minimum temperature of 41 degrees occurred on the 27th.<\/p>\n

26-27<\/p>\n

In 1954\u2026a major storm dumped heavy snow across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 8.6 inches at Stapleton Airport.\u00a0 The storm produced the heaviest snowfall of the calendar year and was the only measurable snowfall in December.<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026a snowstorm stalled in northeastern Colorado\u2026giving metro Denver its worst winter storm in 4 years.\u00a0 Total snowfall from the storm ranged from 12 to 18 inches on the east side\u20261 to 2 feet in Boulder County\u2026and 2 to 3 feet in western and southern parts of metro Denver.\u00a0 The largest reported snowfall was 42 inches at Intercanyon in the foothills southwest of Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 14.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Winds were light on the 26th\u2026but increased as high as 40 mph on the 27th\u2026 Creating near-blizzard conditions and forcing complete closure of Stapleton International Airport for about 8 hours.\u00a0 The strong winds whipped drifts to 5 feet high on the east side of town.\u00a0 All interstate Highways leading from Denver were closed on the 27th.<\/p>\n

26-28<\/p>\n

In 1979 a heavy snow storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of snow over the metro area and 15 to 20 inches at Boulder with up to 2 feet in the foothills west of Boulder.\u00a0 Heavy snowfall totaled 6.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph.\u00a0 Most of the snow\u2026 4.8 inches\u2026fell on the 27th.<\/p>\n

27<\/p>\n

In 1895\u2026west Chinook winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 52 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1901\u2026an apparent cold front produced sustained north winds to 41 mph with gusts to 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1957\u2026northwest winds gusting to 52 mph produced some blowing dust across metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026a northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026a strong pacific cold front moving across metro Denver produced a northwest wind gust to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026high winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 84 mph clocked on fritz peak near Rollinsville. The strong northwest winds of 50 to 70 mph whipped newly fallen snow over higher areas into billowy clouds several hundred feet high that could be seen from most locations across metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026another round of high winds developed over portions of the Front Range foothills during the morning hours. Several wind gusts from 70 to 100 mph were reported at Wondervu southwest of Boulder.\u00a0 West-northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026a trained weather observer in Georgetown recorded a wind gust to 94 mph.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026a winter storm brought heavy snow to portions of the urban corridor and adjacent plains.\u00a0 Storm totals generally ranged from 3 to 7 inches.\u00a0 Locally heavier bands produced up to 10 inches of snow.\u00a0 In the urban corridor\u2026storm totals included:\u00a0 10 inches\u202610 miles south-southeast of Buckley AFB and at Castle Pines; 9.5 inches\u20264 miles south-southeast of Aurora and Kassler; 7.5 inches\u20262 miles southeast of Highlands Ranch; 7 inches in Aurora and Sedalia; 6.5 inches in Arvada\u20264 miles east of Denver and Lafayette; 6 inches in Castle Rock and Thornton.\u00a0 A measurement of 5.4 inches was taken at the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The official total for the month was 20.9 inches; making it the 6th snowiest December on record.<\/p>\n

<\/span>27-28<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026high winds combined with fresh snow from a previous storm caused highways to become slick from drifting snow and near whiteout conditions in localized ground blizzards. Strong winds blew snow across the runways at centennial airport\u2026which glazed over and formed areas of ice.\u00a0 Two planes were damaged when they slid off the runway while landing.\u00a0 No injuries were reported.\u00a0 Numerous accidents also occurred on I-25 and I-70 as ice formed under the same conditions.\u00a0 A rollover accident which injured 4 people on State Highway 93 near the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility was also attributed to the high winds.\u00a0 The high winds caused an office building and showroom under construction in Golden to collapse. The largest wall was 180 feet long and 28 feet high. Some high wind reports included:\u00a0 86 mph at Golden Gate Canyon\u202672 mph near Conifer\u2026and 70 mph at Jefferson County airport and the National Center for Atmospheric Research on the mesa near Boulder.\u00a0 West-northwest winds gusted to 53 mph at Denver International Airport on the 27th.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026damaging downslope winds formed in and near the foothills.\u00a0 Peak wind gusts ranged from 71 to 114 mph. Numerous trees were blown down in Coal Creek Canyon and near gross reservoir.\u00a0 Power lines were blown down\u2026 Resulting in scattered outages.\u00a0 Peak wind reports included:\u00a0 114 mph at Wondervu\u202692 mph in Golden Gate Canyon\u202688 mph in Coal Creek Canyon\u2026and 79 mph 8 miles west of Conifer.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 46 mph at Denver International Airport on the 28th.<\/p>\n

27-29<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026a second surge of bitter cold air in less than a week was less intense.\u00a0 Record breaking low temperatures of 12 degrees below zero on the 28th and 15 degrees below zero on the 29th were accompanied by 3.7 inches of snowfall and northeast winds gusting to 23 mph.<\/p>\n

28<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026brief high winds developed in the foothills west of Denver.\u00a0 Winds gusted to 86 mph on Fritz Peak near Rollinsville.\u00a0 West to northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Denver International Airport where the temperature climbed to a high of 51 degrees.<\/p>\n

28-29<\/p>\n

In 1906\u2026a trace of snow fell on both days\u2026which along with a trace of snow on the 5th\u2026was the only snow of the month\u2026ranking the month the second least snowiest December on record.<\/p>\n

In 1970\u2026wind gusts to 87 mph were recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.\u00a0 Winds gusted to only 46 mph in downtown Boulder.\u00a0 Damage was minor.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026while metro Denver residents were still digging out from the heavy snowfall and blizzard that occurred on December 20-21\u2026the second major winter storm in a week buried the city and the eastern foothills again in more deep snow.\u00a0 Heavy snowfall ranged from 1 to 2 1\/2 feet in the foothills and from 6 to 18 inches across the city.\u00a0 Another slow moving storm system centered over the Texas panhandle produced deep upslope flow over the high plains and against the Front Range mountains.\u00a0 The storm produced blizzard conditions over the plains mainly south of interstate 76.\u00a0 Interstate 70 as well as other roads and highways was closed from Denver to the Kansas line due to snow and blizzard conditions.\u00a0 Greyhound was forced to cancel all bus trips from Denver.\u00a0 The heaviest snow fell in and near the foothills and south of Denver over the palmer divide\u2026where north winds sustained at speeds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph piled the snow into drifts 4 to 14 feet deep.\u00a0 In the city\u2026the heavy snowfall persisted for a total of 29 hours.\u00a0 Snowfall totals across metro Denver included:\u00a0 17.5 inches at Ken Caryl; 15 inches 3 miles south-southeast of Morrison; 14 inches in Boulder and Lone Tree; 12 inches in Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch; 11 inches in Wheat Ridge; 10.5 inches in Littleton; 10 inches in Arvada\u2026Broomfield\u2026and Louviers; and 8.5 inches in Lakewood and Thornton.\u00a0 Officially\u2026snowfall totaled 8.0 inches at Denver Stapleton.\u00a0 North winds sustained to 25 mph with gusts to 32 mph produced some blowing snow at Denver International Airport.\u00a0 In the city\u2026this second storm increased the total snowfall for the month to 29.4 inches\u2026making the month the third snowiest on record.\u00a0 In the foothills the snow fell at a rate of 3 to 4 inches an hour at times.\u00a0 Total snowfall in the foothills included:\u00a0 30 inches near Genesee; 29.5 inches 12 miles northwest of Golden; 25 inches in Evergreen and near Bergen Park; 24 inches near Conifer; 23.5 inches 3 miles southwest of Golden and near Gold Hill; 23 inches near Jamestown; 22.5 inches in Rollinsville; 19.5 inches in Aspen Springs; 19 inches near Blackhawk; 18.5 inches at Nederland; 16 inches in Indian Hills\u2026at Intercanyon\u2026and in Eldora; 15.5 inches at Echo Lake; and 12 inches near Ralston Reservoir.\u00a0 The total cost of snow removal just at Denver International Airport from this storm and the previous storm was in tens of millions of dollars.\u00a0 The airport estimated up to 6.7 million dollars in extra costs for contractors\u2026overtime\u2026equipment\u2026de-icing chemicals\u2026and other expenses.\u00a0 The two storms cost the airport 4.6 million dollars in loss concession revenues. United airlines reported lost revenue of over 25 million dollars from the two storms\u2026while frontier airlines lost an estimated 12.1 million dollars.<\/p>\n

29<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026high winds persisted mainly in and near the foothills.\u00a0 Strong cross winds gusting between 60 and 70 mph blew a rental truck off the roadway in northern Jefferson County near the Coal Creek Canyon road.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 33 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026high winds were recorded across metro Denver. Peak wind gusts included 75 mph near Chatfield Reservoir and 64 mph at Denver International Airport.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

29-30<\/p>\n

In 1898\u2026heavy snowfall totaled 6.2 inches in downtown Denver.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 40 mph on the 29th.<\/p>\n

In 1912\u2026strong winds buffeted Boulder\u2026causing hundreds of dollars damage.\u00a0 The winds were described as one of the most terrific in the history of the city.<\/p>\n

In 1923\u2026a cold wave caused temperatures to plunge 58 degrees in 24 hours.\u00a0 The temperature was 54 degrees at 2:00 pm on the 29th and only 4 degrees below zero at the same time on the 30th.\u00a0 The low temperature of 14 degrees on the 29th was the high temperature on the 30th.\u00a0 The low temperature on the 30th dipped to 10 degrees below zero. Light snowfall totaled only 0.7 inch.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 23 mph on the 29th.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026very strong Chinook winds blasted areas in and near the foothills of Boulder and Jefferson counties.\u00a0 The wind blew down trees and power poles\u2026downed electrical lines and fences\u2026and damaged homes and vehicles.\u00a0 Scattered power outages were reported along the Front Range.\u00a0 In metropolitan Denver alone\u202624\u2026000 Xcel customers were affected by the outages.\u00a0 Four planed were damaged at the Vance Brand Municipal Airport in Longmont\u2026one was heavily damaged.\u00a0 Insurance companies estimated up to 7 million dollars in damage.\u00a0 Peak wind gusts included 87 mph at the National Wind Technology Center\u202686 mph\u20262 miles north of Longmont; 77 mph at Erie\u2026and 75 mph at Lafayette.\u00a0 On the 30th\u2026a peak wind gust to 47 mph was recorded at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

<\/span>30<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026snow fell from the early morning into the early evening.\u00a0 While the amount of snowfall was not recorded\u2026 Precipitation from melted snow totaled 0.53 inch. Good sleighing was reported\u2026so snowfall must have been 5 inches or more.<\/p>\n

In 1895\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 60 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1897\u2026west winds sustained to 52 mph with gusts to 60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1912\u2026west winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 52 mph.\u00a0 The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 50 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1928\u2026snowfall was 0.1 inch in downtown Denver.\u00a0 This was the only measurable snow of the month\u2026ranking the month the third least snowiest on record in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026strong downslope winds buffeted the eastern foothills.\u00a0 Wind gusts to 91 mph were recorded atop Table Mesa in southwest Boulder\u2026while a gust to 94 mph was clocked at Rollinsville.\u00a0 The high winds caused whiteout conditions due to blowing snow along some highways south and north of Boulder.\u00a0 The high winds downed power lines near the Rocky Flats Plant south of Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026high winds continued to buffet areas in and near the foothills.\u00a0 Near Evergreen\u2026a 100-foot-high blue spruce crashed down on the roof of a home\u2026splitting the corrugated metal roof in half.\u00a0 Fortunately\u2026the tree\u2026 Which measured 10 feet in circumference\u2026only penetrated the home\u2019s interior in a few places.\u00a0 Peak wind reports included:\u00a0 90 mph at Wondervu\u202688 mph at the Rocky Flats Test Facility\u202683 mph near Conifer\u2026and 82 mph atop Blue Mountain near Coal Creek Canyon.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 39 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

30-31<\/p>\n

In 1886\u2026heavy snow totaled 6.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow\u20264.5 inches\u2026fell on the 31st.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to 18 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1928\u2026snowfall of 0.6 inch was the only measurable snow of the month in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1947\u2026post-frontal heavy snow totaled 6.3 inches over downtown Denver.\u00a0 Most of the snow fell on the 30th. North winds were sustained to 17 mph on the 30th.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026the foothills west of Denver received 5 to 9 inches of new snow\u2026except for bailey where 11 inches of snow were measured.\u00a0 No snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
\n31<\/p>\n

In 1890\u2026northeast winds were sustained to 46 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph behind an apparent cold front.\u00a0 A trace of sleet fell.<\/p>\n

In 1899\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 44 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.\u00a0 The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 49 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1927\u2026the temperature was below zero all day.\u00a0 The high temperature of 3 degrees below zero was a record low maximum for the date.\u00a0 The low temperature was 11 degrees below zero.<\/p>\n

In 1970\u2026warm Chinook winds whistled through Boulder.\u00a0 A wind gust to 92 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research\u2026while at the national bureau of standards\u2026winds peaked to 70 mph.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusting to 30 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026occasional high winds occurred northwest of Denver and in the foothills.\u00a0 A wind gust to 85 mph was recorded at Jefferson County airport in Broomfield.\u00a0 Wind gusts to 86 mph occurred on Squaw Mountain with 75 mph recorded at Rollinsville.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2011\u2026an intense and fast moving storm system\u2026 Produced a powerful windstorm across the Front Range. In the mountains and foothills\u2026several locations recorded wind gusts in excess of 100 mph. Numerous trees were knocked down throughout Arapahoe National Forest. One man was killed when he was impaled by a falling tree limb while driving along U.S. Highway 36\u2026north of Boulder. The strong winds produced extensive damage to fences and roofs\u2026 And also knocked down trees which resulted in power outages that affected 19 thousand residents along the Front Range. In the mountains and foothills\u2026peak wind gusts included: 111 mph\u20263 miles south-southeast of Pinecliffe; 101 mph\u20261 mile west of Lyons; 94 mph atop Berthoud Pass; 86 mph\u20263 miles south of Golden; 84 mph\u2026 4 miles northwest of Boulder; 81 mph in Boulder; 79 mph at Kenosha Pass\u2026NCAR Mesa Lab and the junction of U.S. Highways 72 and 93; 77 mph at the National Wind Technology Center; and 76 mph\u20263 miles north-northwest of Morrison. Peak wind gusts for the urban corridor included: 80 mph\u20263 mile east of Cedar Point; 77 mph in north Longmont; 67 mph\u202610 miles east of Parker; 64 mph at Buckley AFB and Lakewood; 60 mph at Bennett and Front Range Airport in Watkins; 59 mph at Denver International Airport and Deer Trail; 58 mph at Rocky Mountain Regional Airport in Broomfield and 2 miles north-northwest of Louisville.<\/p>\n

31-1<\/p>\n

In 1900\u2026low temperatures dipped to 19 degrees below zero on both days to establish daily record minimum temperatures.<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026only 4.2 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport\u2026while north of Denver a major blizzard raged.\u00a0 All roads north of Denver into Wyoming were closed when strong winds whipped snow into 5 to 6 foot drifts.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 31st\u2026causing some blowing snow.\u00a0 Freezing drizzle also fell on the 31st.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026heavy snow fell in the foothills with 8 inches at Boulder and 6 inches in southern and western metro Denver. Only 1.5 inches of snow fell overnight at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026a New Year\u2019s Eve snow storm dumped 2 to 8 inches of snow across northeastern Colorado.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 3.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The 1.9 inches of snow that fell on the 31st was the only measurable snowfall of the month.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026another brief period of high winds occurred in and near the foothills of Boulder and Jefferson counties.\u00a0 In Nederland\u2026the strong wind snapped a blue spruce which landed on a nearby propane tank.\u00a0 Some roofs in the immediate area were damaged and power lines were downed; which left 126 residences without electricity for six hours.\u00a0 Peak wind gusts included 90 mph at the national wind technology center\u2026and 89 mph; 6 miles northwest of Boulder.\u00a0 At Denver International Airport\u2026a peak wind gust of 23 mph was measured from the southwest.<\/p>\n

31-6<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026the 31st marked the start of a protracted cold spell that extended into January of 1974 when temperatures dipped below zero on 7 consecutive days.\u00a0 Record daily minimum readings occurred on the 3rd and 5th when the temperature plunged to 17 degrees below zero on both days. A record low daily maximum temperature of only 4 degrees occurred on the 5th.<\/p>\n

31-7<\/p>\n

In 1941\u2026a protracted cold spell through January 7\u20261942\u2026 Produced below zero low temperatures on 7 of the 8 days. A low temperature of 2 degrees on the 3rd prevented a string of 8 days below zero.\u00a0 The coldest days during the period were the 1st with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 9 degrees below zero\u2026the 4th with a high of 2 degrees and a low of 11 degrees below zero\u2026and the 5th with a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12 degrees below zero.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026the temperature fell 27 degrees between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm.\u00a0 The high for the day was 43 degrees\u2026and the low was 8 degrees.\u00a0 Occasional snow flurries fell during the day\u2026but not enough to cover the ground.<\/p>\n

In 1885\u2026dense smoke choked the skies over downtown Denver until midday.<\/p>\n

In 1910\u2026a rare trace of light rain fell during the morning.<\/p>\n

In 1911\u2026post-frontal northeast winds were sustained to 40 mph. Only a trace of snow fell in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1952\u2026snowfall of 0.03 inch was the only measurable snowfall of the month and resulted in 0.01 inch of melted snow\u2026the only precipitation of the month.<\/p>\n

In 1956\u2026west-northwest winds gusted to 52 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026the first snow storm of the new year dumped more than a foot of snow in the Front Range foothills with 4 to 9 inches across the western and southern sections of metro Denver.\u00a0 Snow totals included: 14 inches at Conifer; 11 inches at evergreen; and 10 inches at Eldora Ski Resort\u2026 West of Boulder.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled only 1.2 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 North-northeast winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026only a trace of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 This\u2026along with a trace of snow on the 22nd\u2026was the only snow of the month\u2026which equaled the 1934 record for the least snowiest January.<\/p>\n

1-2<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026warm Chinook winds on the 1st became cold Bora winds on the 2nd.\u00a0 Southwest winds sustained to 60 mph with gusts as high as 66 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees on the 1st.\u00a0 Northwest winds sustained to 54 mph with gusts to 60 mph resulted in snowfall of 0.3 inch and a high temperature of only 31 degrees on the 2nd.<\/p>\n

1-5<\/p>\n

In 1940\u2026the first days of the month were characterized by a mixture of drizzle\u2026light snow\u2026and fog.\u00a0 Fog occurred on each day.\u00a0 On the 4th and 5th considerable glazing resulted from freezing drizzle.\u00a0 All objects were coated with a glaze on the windward side.\u00a0 This resulted in very slippery streets\u2026which caused several minor traffic accidents.\u00a0 The glaze was not heavy enough to damage wires and cables.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026strong northwest Chinook winds in advance of a cold front gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport and caused temperatures to warm to a high of 55 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026high winds occurred along the Front Range foothills. The strongest recorded gust was 82 mph in the Table Mesa area of Boulder.\u00a0 Other places in Boulder reported gusts from 68 to 80 mph.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026high winds between 60 and 70 mph were recorded in Boulder and along the eastern foothills.\u00a0 No damage was reported.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 49 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

2-3<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026a major storm dumped a total of 8.4 inches of snow at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 23 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026a strong cold front late on the 2nd produced north wind gusts to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Snow\u2026heavy at times on the 3rd\u2026totaled 6.4 inches as temperatures hovered only in the single digits.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026heavy snow fell over the higher terrain of the palmer divide to the south of metro Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 7 inches 5 miles southwest of Sedalia.\u00a0 Only 1.5 inches of snowfall were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

2-4<\/p>\n

In 1949\u2026the worst blizzard in many years struck metro Denver and all of northern Colorado.\u00a0 The storm produced blizzard conditions with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph all day on the 3rd when temperatures were only in the single digits.\u00a0 This resulted in extremely cold wind chill temperatures of 40 to 55 degrees below zero.\u00a0 Stapleton Airport received 13.3 inches of snow from the storm\u2026 While downtown Denver received 11.8 inches.\u00a0 The snow fell for 51 consecutive hours downtown.\u00a0 Numerous lives were lost\u2026and livestock losses were high across the northeastern plains of Colorado where extensive airlift operations were needed to bring supplies and food to isolated communities.<\/p>\n

2-5<\/p>\n

In 1959\u2026very cold temperatures\u2026to near zero and below\u2026caused power and gas lines\u2026water pipes\u2026and automatic sprinkler systems to break.\u00a0 In Boulder\u2026 Merchandise and furnishings were water damaged when pipes burst in a department store\u2026flooding three floors.\u00a0 The temperature was below zero for 38 consecutive hours at Stapleton Airport on the 2nd\u20263rd\u2026and 4th and plunged to a low of 13 degrees below zero on the 4th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Snow and wind are the two dominant weather conditions seen on our look back at this week in Denver weather history. \u00a0Fourteen years ago, the second of two major winter storms buried Denver and closed highways. \u00a0Thirteen years ago, damaging winds that downed trees and caused power outages occurred. 25-31 In 1980\u2026temperatures were unusually warm … Continue reading December 27 to January 2: 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":[81,156,106,62,197,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21226"}],"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=21226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21227,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21226\/revisions\/21227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}