{"id":21271,"date":"2021-01-17T04:59:47","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T11:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=21271"},"modified":"2021-01-18T05:01:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T12:01:03","slug":"january-17-to-january-23-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/january-17-to-january-23-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3\/","title":{"rendered":"January 17 to January 23: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Chinook winds in January oftentimes bring welcome warmth to the Front Range.\u00a0 They can however be more of a curse than a blessing as at times they can reach hurricane strength and do extensive damage.\u00a0 Looking back at this week in Denver weather history, we see many such occurrences.<\/p>\n

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

14-21<\/p>\n

In 1930\u2026a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days.\u00a0 The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates.\u00a0 High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th.\u00a0 Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.<\/p>\n

15-23<\/p>\n

In 1962\u2026a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week.\u00a0 From the 15th thru the 23rd\u2026low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days\u2026but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero.\u00a0 A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees.\u00a0 The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st\u2026which did not break the record.\u00a0 The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening.\u00a0 The severe cold caused much damage to water systems.\u00a0 A woman was frozen to death at Morrison.\u00a0 There were other deaths attributable to the weather\u2026including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.<\/p>\n

16-17<\/p>\n

In 1886\u2026a brief cold spell resulted in two temperature records.\u00a0 High temperatures of zero degrees on the 16th and 2 degrees below zero on the 17th were both record low maximums for the dates.\u00a0 Low temperatures of 8 degrees below zero on the 16th and 16 degrees below zero on the 17th were not records.<\/p>\n

In 1930\u2026temperatures plunging well below zero resulted in two records.\u00a0 Low temperatures of 19 degrees below zero on the 16th and 20 degrees below zero on the 17th were record low temperatures for the dates.\u00a0 High temperatures were 4 degrees on the 16th and 15 degrees on the 17th.\u00a0 Light snowfall totaled 4.0 inches.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 16th.<\/p>\n

In 1964\u2026high winds struck the eastern foothills.\u00a0 Gale velocity winds were recorded in Boulder with gusts to 83 mph measured at Rocky Flats.\u00a0 Several airplanes were damaged at the Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield. Roofs\u2026walls\u2026and parts of buildings were blown away at various locations.\u00a0 Power poles and trees were blown over.<\/p>\n

16-18<\/p>\n

In 1943\u2026light snowfall totaled 3.2 inches over the 3 days. This was the only measurable snow of the month.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to 20 mph on the 16th.<\/p>\n

In 2011\u2026very strong winds associated with an upper level jetstream over Colorado produced blizzard conditions in the mountains above timberline. Peak wind gusts included: 99 mph atop Loveland pass\u202694 mph\u2026 2 miles southwest of Mary Jane\u202680 mph atop Berthoud Pass and 79 mph atop Niwot Ridge. Storm totals in the ski areas west of Denver ranged from 8 to 14 inches.<\/p>\n

<\/span>17<\/p>\n

In 1872\u2026light snow fell during the morning and continued into the afternoon until 3:30 pm.\u00a0 The sky commenced to clear a little before 2:00 pm\u2026but snow fell thickly for at least half an hour even though the sky was perfectly clear overhead.\u00a0 Melted snow totaled 0.33 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1888\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 46 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1905\u2026intermittent rain\u2026unusual in January\u2026occurred during the day.\u00a0 The rain changed to snow during the late evening\u2026but ended before midnight.\u00a0 Snowfall was 2.0 inches. Precipitation totaled 0.62 inch.\u00a0 The temperature ranged from a high of 44 degrees to a low of 32 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1950\u2026wind gusts to 62 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026one of the worst wind storms in many years hit the Front Range foothills.\u00a0 The strongest winds occurred in Boulder where at 2:30 am a wind gust to 147 mph was recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research\u2026on the mesa in southwest Boulder.\u00a0 At this location 20 wind gusts over 120 mph were clocked between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.\u00a0 An estimated 40 percent of all buildings in Boulder received at least minor wind damage.\u00a0 About 50 homes were damaged enough to be uninhabitable.\u00a0 At least 15 homes in the Table Mesa area of Boulder lost roofs.\u00a0 Twenty small airplanes were destroyed at the Boulder airport.\u00a0 Utility poles were snapped in two\u2026and about one-seventh of the buildings in the area were without power.\u00a0 Insured damage totaled 20 million dollars making the wind storm the most costly on record in Colorado at the time.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026high winds were recorded along the eastern foothills with gusts to 90 mph recorded at Rollinsville.\u00a0 North of Denver on I-25\u2026the wind injured two men when their tractor trailer was blown off the road and rolled.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026an intense but localized snow storm caught many people by surprise when it dumped 3 to 6 inches of snow during a 3-hour period across portions of Boulder County. The storm swath approximately 20 to 30 miles wide stretched northeast from Boulder to just east of Longmont.\u00a0 Only light snow fell over the remainder of metro Denver with 0.2 inch of snowfall measured at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 30 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026strong winds in the foothills spread over the plains mainly north of metro Denver.\u00a0 Winds gusted to 75 mph at Golden Gate Canyon.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 34 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

17-18<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026rare overnight January rainfall totaled 0.12 inch on the 17th and 0.26 inch on the 18th when it was briefly mixed with snow.<\/p>\n

In 2012\u2026damaging winds developed in and near the Front Range. In Boulder\u2026the high winds knocked down several trees\u2026 Power poles and electrical lines. Some of the fallen trees damaged homes and automobiles. A semi-trailer was blown on its side along State Highway 93 near Marshall. Peak wind gusts included: 104 mph in south Boulder; 98 mph\u20263 miles southwest of Pinecliffe; 95 mph\u20262 miles northwest of Rocky Flats; 92 mph\u2026at State Highway 93 near Marshall; 87 mph at Berthoud Pass and in Boulder Canyon; 80 mph\u20265 miles west- northwest of Boulder; 83 mph at NCAR Mesa Lab; 78 mph\u20268 miles northeast of Four Corners; 79 mph at the National Wind Technology Center; 76 mph at Wondervu; 75 mph atop Loveland Pass and the NCAR foothills lab in Boulder; 74 mph at Blue Mountain\u2026Boulder Municipal Airport\u2026 1 mile northwest of Lyons; 73 mph\u20264 miles east-northeast of Nederland; 72 mph at the junction of State Highways 72 and 93; 62 mph in Superior; and 61 mph at Erie Municipal Airport. A peak wind gust of 38 mph from the northwest was observed at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

<\/span>18<\/p>\n

In 1874\u2026light rain\u2026rare in January\u2026changed to snow which totaled 3 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1959\u2026strong gusty winds caused damage to buildings\u2026 Airplanes\u2026trees\u2026and a radio tower in Boulder\u2026 Broomfield\u2026Denver\u2026and Longmont.\u00a0 A wind gust to 70 mph was recorded in Longmont.\u00a0 In Boulder\u2026the top of a radio tower was toppled and signs\u2026trees\u2026and trailer houses were blown over.\u00a0 In southwest Denver\u2026a mother and child were injured when their car was struck by a sign that had blown loose in the wind.\u00a0 Minor damage to buildings and power lines was reported in the area.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Stapleton Airport.\u00a0 Post-frontal east northeast winds gusted to 40 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026northeast winds gusted to 29 mph and snowfall totaled only 0.1 inch at Stapleton Airport\u2026but 2 to 7 inches of snow fell in the foothills west of Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026a strong cold front roared through metro Denver producing north wind gusts to 52 mph and briefly reducing the visibility at Stapleton International Airport to less than 5\/8 mile in blowing dust.\u00a0 The windstorm caused considerable damage to utility lines\u2026homes\u2026fences\u2026 Commercial buildings\u2026autos\u2026and schools.\u00a0 Heaviest damage was near the foothills where winds hit 80 mph at Boulder and at Rocky Flats northwest of Denver. The cold front caused temperatures to drop 13 degrees in one hour.\u00a0 Temperatures fell from a maximum of 61 degrees in the early afternoon to a minimum of 31 degrees before midnight.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026the coldest morning of the new year produced record breaking temperatures with a low of 19 degrees below zero for the date at Denver.\u00a0 Many other cities also reported record cold.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026highs winds occurred in the foothills with gusts reported to 60 mph at Evergreen.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026wind gusts to 60 mph were reported in Boulder. West winds gusted to 31 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026damaging downslope winds caused problems in the foothills.\u00a0 In Eldora\u2026the roof was blown off an a-frame house.\u00a0 Peak wind gusts included:\u00a0 100 mph at Central City\u202684 mph at Wondervu\u202677 mph atop Blue Mountain\u2026 75 mph in Golden Gate Canyon\u202672 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility\u2026and 70 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesa Laboratory near Boulder.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 36 mph and warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees\u2026the highest reading of the month at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026high winds occurred in northern Jefferson and southern Boulder counties.\u00a0 A peak wind gust to 81 mph was recorded near superior along with a gust to 80 mph near Boulder.\u00a0 Five teenagers started a grassfire near Plainview atop Rocky Flats.\u00a0 The high winds coupled with very dry conditions allowed the fire to quickly spread\u2026forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents and the closure of State Highways 93 and 72.\u00a0 The fire consumed 2700 acres and destroyed two outbuildings.\u00a0 No homes were damaged and no one was injured by the blaze. West winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

18-19<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026a slow moving storm deposited 4 to 10 inches of snow across metro Denver with the greatest amounts in the foothills.\u00a0 Flights were delayed 30 to 40 minutes at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled 5.5 inches and north winds gusted to 22 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026a blizzard produced strong winds and heavy snow across eastern Colorado.\u00a0 Ten-foot drifts were common and many roads were closed including I-70\u2026I-76\u2026and I-25. In the Denver area\u20264.0 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting to 40 mph reduced the visibility to 1\/2 mile at times.<\/p>\n

18-20<\/p>\n

In 1958\u2026snowfall totaled 6.9 inches at Stapleton Airport where east-northeast winds gusted to 26 mph on the 18th.<\/p>\n

18-24<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026a week of mid-winter unseasonably warm weather pushed high temperatures into the 60\u2019s or more on all but one day.\u00a0 During the period\u2026the highest temperature of 70 degrees on the 20th was a new record maximum for the date.\u00a0 Low temperatures remained above freezing on 4 of the days.<\/p>\n

19<\/p>\n

In 1883\u2026the low temperature dropped to 20 degrees below zero\u2026and the high temperature of only 9 degrees below zero was the record low maximum for January\u2026which was equaled on January 11\u20261963.<\/p>\n

In 1887\u2026west winds sustained to 48 mph warmed the temperature in the city to a high of 67 degrees\u2026which was the highest temperature of the month that year.<\/p>\n

In 1890\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 45 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with an extreme velocity of 44 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1911\u2026west Chinook winds sustained to 42 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 66 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1916\u2026sleet (grains of ice) fell for 15 minutes.\u00a0 This is a rare occurrence in Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u20267 to 10 inches of snow fell across metro Denver. Strong winds\u2026drifting snow\u2026and poor visibility caused the closure of I-70 from Denver east to the Kansas border. However\u2026at Stapleton International Airport north winds gusted to only 17 mph.\u00a0 Several schools and businesses were forced to close.\u00a0 Weather-related delays of up to 90 minutes hampered aircraft operations at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall from the storm totaled 7.5 inches.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026high winds occurred over portions of the northern mountains and eastern foothills.\u00a0 Wind reports included: 74 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research atop the mesa in Boulder and 71 mph at the Eldora Ski Resort west of Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026a wind gust to 75 mph was recorded at the national wind technology center atop Rocky Flats to the northwest of Denver.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

19-20<\/p>\n

In 1935\u2026snowfall of only 0.8 inch during the evening of the 19th was the only measurable snowfall of the month. The light snow developed behind an arctic cold front as temperatures plunged to a low of 13 degrees below zero on the 20th.\u00a0 High temperature of only 2 degrees on the 20th was a record low maximum for the date.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 16 mph on the 19th.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026Chinook winds gusting to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport provided record breaking warmth. The warmest temperature of the month\u202668 degrees on the 19th\u2026was also a record high for the date.\u00a0 The low temperature of 41 degrees on the 20th equaled the record high minimum for the date.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026a strong cold front moved south across metro Denver. Upslope conditions produced 3 to 6 inches of snow along the Front Range with 5 inches in Westminster and 4 inches in Thornton.\u00a0 Snowfall measured 4.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 31 mph.<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

In 1894\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 45 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1911\u2026west Chinook winds sustained to 46 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 62 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026a warm Chinook wind produced a west wind gust to 53 mph at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Winds were much stronger near the foothills\u2026where 80 mph winds in Boulder caused damage to homes\u2026buildings\u2026power lines\u2026 And autos.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026high winds buffeted the foothills from Denver north. The strongest reported wind was 72 mph in Fort Collins.\u00a0 A wind gust to 39 mph was reported at Stapleton International Airport in Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026high winds developed for a short time in the Front Range foothills in the wake of a weak upper level disturbance.\u00a0 Wondervu recorded a peak wind gust to 90 mph\u2026 While winds gusted to 84 mph atop Squaw Mountain near idaho springs.\u00a0 West winds gusted to only 29 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2011\u2026a snowboarder and his dog were killed when he triggered an avalanche in the backcountry northeast of Berthoud Pass.<\/p>\n

20-21<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026a major storm produced 7.5 inches of snowfall at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 32 mph causing some blowing snow.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026high winds developed over portions of the northern mountains and Front Range foothills.\u00a0 Several trees were blown down in Gilpin County along State Highways 119 and 46.\u00a0 Wind gust reports included:\u00a0 90 mph 11 miles north of central city\u202683 mph near Fritz Peak\u202676 mph at Aspen Springs\u2026and 80 mph at Nederland.\u00a0 West winds gusted to only 39 mph at Denver International Airport on the 20th.<\/p>\n

20-22<\/p>\n

In 1937\u2026a second incursion of cold arctic in less than two weeks kept temperatures in the deep freeze for three days\u2026 Even though only one temperature record was set during the period.\u00a0 Temperatures were below zero for an estimated 53 consecutive hours.\u00a0 The below zero period would have been longer had the temperatures on the 20th not climbed to a high of 1 degree after a low of 8 degrees below zero. On the 21st\u2026the high temperature of 1 degree below zero was a record low maximum for the date.\u00a0 Low readings on both the 21st and 22nd were 9 degrees below zero.<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026high winds raked Boulder.\u00a0 Wind gusts to 77 mph were recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Winds gusted to 83 mph in south Boulder and to 68 mph in downtown Boulder.\u00a0 Minor personal injuries occurred\u2026and reported damage to structures totaled 15 thousand dollars. On the 21st\u2026northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 69 degrees on the 20th\u2026which equaled the record for the date.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026sporadic high winds along the east slopes of the Front Range during the early morning hours of the 20th moved onto the foothills and plains by the 22nd.\u00a0 Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were common.\u00a0 Some significant wind reports included 82 mph at Rollinsville and atop squaw mountain west of Denver\u2026and 75 mph on Rocky Flats.\u00a0 At Stapleton International Airport\u2026west winds gusted to 35 mph on the 20th\u202644 mph on the 21st\u2026and 55 mph on the 22nd.<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

In 1897\u2026west winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 45 mph.\u00a0 The warm Chinook winds produced a high temperature of 51 degrees and a low temperature of 36 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1943\u2026strong west winds gusted to 92 mph at Boulder airport.\u00a0 Strong winds were common along the foothills. Some damage occurred.<\/p>\n

In 1950\u2026wind gusts to 50 mph produced some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026high winds along the Front Range foothills caused an empty 18-wheeler to overturn on I-70 near the Morrison and C-470 exits.\u00a0 The truck landed on top of a passenger car traveling beside it.\u00a0 The drivers received only minor injuries.\u00a0 West-northwest winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026two storm systems\u2026one moving to the south and east of the region\u2026and the other brushing from the west\u2026 Contributed to heavy snow along the Front Range foothills\u2026 Urban corridor and adjacent plains.\u00a0 The heaviest snow fell south and east of Denver where a blizzard developed during the late morning and early afternoon hours.\u00a0 In and near the Front Range foothills and Palmer Divide\u2026storm totals ranged from 6 to 15 inches.\u00a0 Very strong winds produced extensive blowing and drifting snow along I-70\u2026from just east of Denver to near Limon.\u00a0 Sustained winds from 30 to 45 mph were measured with peak gusts to 60 mph.\u00a0 As a result\u2026snow drifts 2 to 4 feet in depth made some roads impassable with whiteout conditions reported.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 40 mph at Denver International Airport.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 6.1 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

21-22<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026wind gusts to 74 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder\u2026while in downtown Boulder wind gusts to 56 mph were measured.\u00a0 The strong winds overturned a plane at the Arapahoe County airport.\u00a0 A motorcyclist died of injuries when he was blown off a Boulder County road.\u00a0 Northwest winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 21st.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026heavy snow developed across portions of metro Denver and in the foothills.\u00a0 Snowfall totals included: 8 inches in Golden Gate Canyon\u2026Intercanyon\u2026Rollinsville\u2026 And Parker; 7 inches at Aspen Springs\u2026Gross Reservoir\u2026 Pine junction\u2026and 5 miles south of Sedalia; 6 inches at Highlands Ranch; and 5 inches at Eaglecrest\u2026Eldorado Springs\u2026and Louisville.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 2.6 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. On the 21st\u2026north-northwest winds gusted to 31 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

In 1899\u2026a cold front produced northeast sustained winds to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026a heavy windstorm struck Boulder.\u00a0 Minor damage was reported.\u00a0 Strong post-frontal east winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026strong winds of 50 to 90 mph buffeted the foothills. No significant damage was reported.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026strong winds raked the eastern foothills with a wind gust to 58 mph recorded at Rocky Flats just northwest of Denver.\u00a0 West winds gusted to only 25 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026only a trace of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 This along with a trace of snow on the 1st was the only snow of the month\u2026which equaled the record for the least snowiest January first set in 1934.<\/p>\n

22-23<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026wind gusts up to 101 mph were clocked at Wondervu. Wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph were common along the Front Range foothills from Boulder north.<\/p>\n

22-26<\/p>\n

In 1948\u2026the longest period of snowfall on record (92 hours and 3 minutes) occurred in downtown Denver where a total of 13.6 inches of snow fell.\u00a0 At Stapleton Airport\u202619.0 inches of snow fell\u2026making it the heaviest snow in January and the 5th heaviest snow of record at that time.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to a velocity of 23 mph on the 25th\u2026but generally the winds were light throughout the storm.\u00a0 The snow disrupted traffic\u2026but street clearing was begun soon after it became apparent that the snow would be heavy.\u00a0 Over the 5 days\u2026temperatures ranged from a high of 48 degrees on the 22nd to a low of 1 degree on the 26th.\u00a0 Most readings were in the teens and 20\u2019s during the storm.<\/p>\n

23<\/p>\n

In 1872\u2026a brisk northerly wind set in about noon\u2026blew almost a gale about 6:00 pm\u2026and continued brisk until night.\u00a0 A light snow commenced during the late afternoon and continued all night.<\/p>\n

In 1886\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph in the city around sunrise.\u00a0 A cold wave accompanied the strong winds.<\/p>\n

In 1897\u2026a vigorous cold front produced northeast winds sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 50 mph.\u00a0 Temperatures plunged from a high of 59 degrees to a low of 11 degrees in the evening.\u00a0 The very cold temperatures persisted through the 28th.<\/p>\n

In 1934\u2026the date marked the last day of the longest period of consecutive days without measurable precipitation in the city.\u00a0 The 52 day period began on December 3\u20261933.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026one of the strongest windstorms in several years pounded the Front Range foothills from Colorado springs north to the wyoming border.\u00a0 The highest wind gust at lower elevations was 105 mph recorded at Table Mesa in Boulder.\u00a0 Other sections of Boulder recorded wind gusts of 80 to 90 mph.\u00a0 In Boulder\u2026the high winds broke windows and damaged power lines and transformers.\u00a0 Power outages were widespread and traffic lights were downed.\u00a0 The winds blew down a partially constructed viaduct in east Boulder.\u00a0 Nine unanchored concrete girders\u2026each weighing 45 tons\u2026were blown off their supports.\u00a0 Cars were blown off I-70 near Morrison\u2026and a tractor trailer and a mobile home were knocked over.\u00a0 In Lakewood\u2026an electric company crewman was burned while replacing a power line.\u00a0 Wind gusts to 92 mph were clocked at Jefferson County Airport in Broomfield before the site anemometer was blown down by the wind. The strong winds spread over all the metro area with a northwest wind gust to 52 mph recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026high winds buffeted the eastern foothills.\u00a0 A wind gust to 63 mph was recorded at Rocky Flats northwest of Denver.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026low level upslope flow combined with an upper level jet stream created bands of heavy snow over portions of the Front Range foothills and metro Denver.\u00a0 The areas hardest hit were the foothills of Jefferson and Douglas counties and the I-25 corridor from the southern suburbs of Denver to around Castle Rock.\u00a0 Snow totals included: 9 inches at Intercanyon\u2026Roxborough State Park\u2026and near Sedalia; 8.5 inches atop Crow Hill and near Tiny Town; 8 inches at Ken Caryl and near Castle Rock; 7 inches in Lakewood; 6.5 inches at Littleton; and 6 inches in Castle Rock.\u00a0 Only 3.6 inches of snow were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

23-24<\/p>\n

In 1921\u2026heavy snowfall in downtown Denver totaled 8.0 inches overnight.\u00a0 Northwest winds were sustained to 22 mph with gusts to 25 mph on the 24th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chinook winds in January oftentimes bring welcome warmth to the Front Range.\u00a0 They can however be more of a curse than a blessing as at times they can reach hurricane strength and do extensive damage.\u00a0 Looking back at this week in Denver weather history, we see many such occurrences. From the National Weather Service: 14-21 … Continue reading January 17 to January 23: 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":[81,106,62,197,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21271"}],"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=21271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21272,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21271\/revisions\/21272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}