{"id":21833,"date":"2021-09-20T03:03:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T09:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=21833"},"modified":"2021-09-20T05:05:43","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T11:05:43","slug":"september-19-to-september-25-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/september-19-to-september-25-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"September 19 to September 25: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

This time of year many folks would consider \u201csnow\u201d a bad four-letter word but living in the Mile High City we can\u2019t rule it out even with it technically still being summer.\u00a0 In fact, it was only 15 short years ago that we received a significant snowstorm that brought up to 8 inches of snow in the metro area and caused millions of dollars in damage.<\/p>\n

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

15-19<\/p>\n

In 1906\u2026rain on 5 consecutive days totaled 1.61 inches. A thunderstorm occurred on the 17th.\u00a0 High temperatures ranged from 48 degrees on the 16th to 65 degrees on the 15th.\u00a0 Low temperatures were in the lower to mid 40\u2019s.<\/p>\n

16-19<\/p>\n

In 1971\u2026a record breaking early fall snow storm caused extensive damage to trees and utility lines.\u00a0 The heavy wet snow occurred with little wind\u2026but caused record breaking cold temperatures for so early in the season.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 15.6 inches at Stapleton International Airport with most of the snowfall\u202612.0 inches\u2026occurring on the 17th.\u00a0 This was the heaviest first snow of the season. The maximum snow depth on the ground was 13 inches. Record low temperatures were set on three consecutive days: 31 degrees on the 17th\u202623 degrees on the 18th\u2026and 20 degrees on the 19th\u2026which was also a new all-time record minimum for the month at that time.\u00a0 Record low maximum temperatures were set on 4 consecutive days:\u00a0 48 degrees on the 16th\u202635 degrees on the 17th\u202640 degrees on the 18th\u2026 And 42 degrees on the 19th.<\/p>\n

18-19<\/p>\n

In 1955\u2026heavy rains caused flash flooding across portions of metro Denver.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 1.71 inches at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

19<\/p>\n

In 1955\u2026hail stones to 2 1\/2 inches in diameter were reported north of Denver.\u00a0 The large stones broke many automobile windshields.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in Westminster.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026an unusually strong cold front roared through metro Denver during the afternoon hours.\u00a0 At Stapleton International Airport\u2026the temperature dropped 51 degrees\u2026 From a sunny 86 degrees to a snowy 35 degrees\u2026in just 7 hours.\u00a0 Strong winds and a wall of blowing dust followed the front.\u00a0 Northeast winds gusting to 36 mph briefly reduced the surface visibility to 1 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport where only a trace of snow fell later.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026high winds gusting to 84 mph were measured at Golden Gate Canyon in the foothills west of Denver. West winds gusted to only 25 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

<\/span>20<\/p>\n

In 1921\u2026an apparent Bora produced northwest winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 64 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1955\u2026hail stones 1\/2 to 3\/4 inch in diameter were reported across parts of the city of Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026weather observers at Buckley Air National Guard base sighted two tornados southeast of the base.\u00a0 The tornados were short-lived and caused no injuries or damage.<\/p>\n

20-21 in 1963\u2026heavy rain and hail caused local flooding in southeast Denver.\u00a0 Thunderstorm rainfall was only 0.60 inch at Stapleton Airport on the 20th.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026the cold front on the 19th brought an unusually cold air mass into metro Denver for so early in the season.\u00a0 The temperature dipped to a daily record minimum of 28 degrees on both days.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026a vigorous late summer storm brought the season\u2019s first heavy snow to portions of metro Denver.\u00a0 Millions of trees were damaged and power lines downed as 4 to 8 inches of heavy wet snow settled on fully leafed trees in the Boulder and Denver areas.\u00a0 Branches snapped and trees split under the weight of heavy snow\u2026downing power lines. Firefighters responded to numerous transformer fires. Around 100 thousand people were left without electricity in Boulder and Denver areas alone.\u00a0 It took over a week to fully restore power to some areas.\u00a0 Insurance claims were estimated to be around 6 million dollars to homes in metro Denver and about 500 thousand dollars in damage to automobiles.\u00a0 It was estimated that about 80 percent of 125 million dollars worth of city owned trees in Denver were damaged.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 7.4 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where the greatest depth of snow on the ground was only 4 inches due to melting.\u00a0 Temperature records were set on the 21st when the thermometer dipped to a record low reading of 27 degrees and climbed to a high of only 36 degrees\u2026 Setting a record low maximum for the date.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 29 mph at Denver International Airport on the 20th.<\/p>\n

20-22<\/p>\n

In 1902\u2026a thunderstorm on the 20th\u2026in advance of an apparent cold front\u2026produced rain\u2026hail\u2026and northwest winds to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph.\u00a0 Widespread rain developed behind the cold front and totaled 3.21 inches from the evening of the 20th through the early afternoon of the 22nd.\u00a0 The 2.70 inches of precipitation recorded from 800 pm on the 20th to 800 pm on the 21st is the greatest 24 hour precipitation ever recorded in the month of September.\u00a0 The temperature dipped from a high of 80 degrees on the 20th to a high of only 51 degrees on the 21st.<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

In 1951\u20264.2 inches of snow fell at Stapleton Airport\u2026 Where northeast winds gusted to 27 mph.\u00a0 This was the first snowfall of the season in Denver\u2026marking the end of the second shortest snow-free period on record\u2026109 days\u2026from June 4th through September 20th.\u00a0 A trace of snow fell on June 3rd.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026thunderstorm winds gusted to 56 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026the only precipitation of the month at Stapleton International Airport\u20260.01 inch of rain\u2026fell from a brief shower around daybreak.
\n21-22 in 1870\u2026strong winds occurred in the foothills and in Boulder and Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1895\u2026rain changed to snow overnight and totaled 11.4 inches in downtown Denver.\u00a0 This was the first snowfall of the season and the second heaviest first snowfall of the season on record.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to 27 mph with gusts to 30 mph on the 21st.<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

In 1913\u2026a thunderstorm produced northwest winds sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1946\u2026a trace of snow fell in downtown Denver.\u00a0 This marked the start of the longest snow season on record\u2026 263 days through June 11\u20261947\u2026when a trace of snow also fell.<\/p>\n

23<\/p>\n

In 1873\u2026north to northwest winds blowing almost a gale spread clouds of dust and sand into the city during the afternoon and evening.\u00a0 From the roof of the weather observer\u2019s building\u2026houses a few hundred yards away were not visible and not even the sky could be seen through the clouds of sand.\u00a0 The wind reached sustained speeds of 35 mph\u2026but only 28 mph was registered for any one hour.<\/p>\n

In 1977\u2026wind gusts from 50 to 80 mph were reported along the foothills.\u00a0 A northwest wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

23-24<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026the first snowstorm of the season brought heavy snow to areas in and near the foothills.\u00a0 While the heaviest snow fell north of metro Denver\u20266 inches were measured in Boulder\u20264 inches at both Castle Rock and Morrison\u2026but only 0.2 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where most of the precipitation fell as rain.\u00a0 At Denver International Airport where drizzle and rain fell on the 23rd\u2026 Snowfall during the early morning of the 24th was estimated at 2.1 inches due to melting.\u00a0 The foothills west of Denver received more snow with 10 inches measured at conifer\u20269 inches 11 miles southwest of Morrison\u2026 8 inches atop Crow Hill\u20267 inches at Chief Hosa\u2026and 5 inches at Ralston Reservoir.<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

In 1901\u2026northwest winds were sustained to 50 mph with gusts as high as 57 mph in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1932\u2026thunderstorm rainfall of only 0.11 inch was the only measurable precipitation for the month that year in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026a very strong wind storm roared across metro Denver.\u00a0 Boulder was hit hardest.\u00a0 Winds peaked to 131 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.\u00a0 This is thought to be the highest wind gust ever recorded in Boulder during September.\u00a0 A wind gust to 118 mph was clocked on Davidson Mesa and to 92 mph near Niwot.\u00a0 Gusts of 70 to 80 mph were common over all of Boulder where an estimated 70 to 90 large trees were uprooted.\u00a0 About a dozen of them hit cars.\u00a0 Two walls of a building under construction were toppled and solar panels were blown off a house.\u00a0 Traffic lights and power lines were downed.\u00a0 Damage to power equipment alone was estimated at 100 thousand dollars. Wind gusts to 87 mph at Jefferson County Airport damaged two planes.\u00a0 A woman was seriously injured in Boulder. She suffered a fractured skull when struck by a falling tree limb.\u00a0 Trees were also downed in Louisville and Lafayette.\u00a0 West wind gusts to 45 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

25<\/p>\n

In 1873\u2026a fire was sighted in the woods near Platte Canyon\u2026 Probably caused by high winds blowing sparks among the timber.<\/p>\n

In 1896\u2026an apparent cold front produced northeast sustained winds to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1910\u2026a thunderstorm produced sustained north winds to 51 mph.\u00a0 This was the highest recorded wind speed in the city in September at the time.<\/p>\n

In 1936\u2026a vigorous cold front produced a deadly dust storm in the city.\u00a0 North winds sustained to 36 mph with gusts to 38 mph produced much blowing dense dust\u2026greatly restricting the visibility.\u00a0 The temperature plunged from a high of 84 degrees to a low of 38 degrees by midnight. The weather observer described the event with the following. \u201cat 6:00 pm the temperature was 82 degrees and the wind velocity was only 4 mph; but with the wind shifting to the north and the barometer rising quite rapidly\u2026the temperature fell sharply.\u00a0 By 6:30 pm\u2026the wind velocity increased rapidly and by 7:00 pm had reached a maximum sustained velocity of 36 mph\u2026bringing with it clouds of dust which had been picked up by gale force winds in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado\u2026covering the city.\u00a0 The visibility was generally reduced to about 1\/4 mile; however\u2026the whirling of the dust down the streets and alleys\u2026the visibility was at times somewhat less.\u00a0 Airplanes were grounded\u2026traffic was halted at times\u2026and homes filled with dust.\u00a0 The strong winds damaged electric power and telephone lines\u2026leaving homes in darkness for a few hours in the city and for 18 hours in suburban towns and putting 2500 telephones out of service because of broken lines.\u00a0 An electric lineman was killed while repairing damage by the high winds.\u00a0 The dust storm was followed by rain that began falling at 10:55 pm\u2026which turned to snow during the early morning hours of the 26th.\u00a0 A major snow storm followed on the 27th through the 29th.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026high winds developed in the foothills of Boulder County.\u00a0 Winds gusted to 90 mph at Wondervu.<\/p>\n

25-26<\/p>\n

In 1908\u2026apparent post-frontal rain changed to snow overnight and totaled 6.5 inches in downtown Denver.\u00a0 This was the first snow of the season.\u00a0 Precipitation totaled 0.76 inch. North winds were sustained to 39 mph on the 25th.<\/p>\n

25-27<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026an early season snowstorm brought heavy snow to the Front Range eastern foothills.\u00a0 Snowfall totals included:\u00a0 8 to 12 inches around conifer\u20267 inches on Floyd Hill\u2026and 6 inches at both Bailey and Chief Hosa. Snowfall totaled only 4.7 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 This was the first measurable snow of the season.\u00a0 After the passage of a strong cold front\u2026north winds gusted to 38 mph at Denver International Airport on the 25th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This time of year many folks would consider \u201csnow\u201d a bad four-letter word but living in the Mile High City we can\u2019t rule it out even with it technically still being summer.\u00a0 In fact, it was only 15 short years ago that we received a significant snowstorm that brought up to 8 inches of snow … Continue reading September 19 to September 25: 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":[81,106,62,441,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21833"}],"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=21833"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21833\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21834,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21833\/revisions\/21834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}