311
NOUS45 KBOU 180959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-182300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST THU DEC 18 2025
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
17-24 IN 1924...A PROLONGED COLD SPELL OCCURRED AFTER MILD
TEMPERATURES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. MOST
LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED BELOW ZERO WITH THE COLDEST
READING OF 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OCCURRING ON THE 24TH.
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 5 DEGREES ON THE 18TH WAS
A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
18 IN 1901...NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 52 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
58 MPH BEHIND AN APPARENT COLD FRONT.
IN 1973...A BRIEF BLIZZARD DUMPED HEAVY SNOW ACROSS METRO
DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.2 INCHES AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTING TO
53 MPH PRODUCED MUCH BLOWING SNOW. THE STORM FORCED
MANY SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES TO CLOSE.
IN 1996...A HOMELESS MAN IN DENVER WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS IN
HIS CAR SUFFERING FROM EXPOSURE. THE MAN'S BODY TEMPERATURE
WAS ONLY 85 DEGREES WHEN HE WAS DISCOVERED. HE DIED SEVERAL
HOURS LATER. EARLY MORNING TEMPERATURES HAD DIPPED TO
9 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
IN 1999...HIGH WINDS WERE REPORTED FOR A BRIEF TIME IN THE
FOOTHILLS. WINDS GUSTED TO 72 MPH IN GOLDEN GATE CANYON
AND TO 71 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC
RESEARCH IN THE FOOTHILLS SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER. WEST WINDS
GUSTED TO ONLY 39 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
THE TEMPERATURE WARMED TO A HIGH OF 53 DEGREES.
IN 2002...ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS...ALONG WITH THE TRACE
OF SNOW ON THE 5TH...WAS THE ONLY SNOW OF THE MONTH...RANKING
THE MONTH THE 2ND LEAST SNOWIEST ON RECORD.
18-19 IN 2012...A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO THE
MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS WEST OF METROPOLITAN DENVER AND
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO PLAINS EAST OF DENVER METRO AREA. THE
COMBINATION OF SNOW AND WIND REPORTEDLY REDUCED VISIBILITY
TO JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET AT TIMES...AND RESULTED IN SEVERAL
ROAD CLOSURES INCLUDING INTERSTATE 70 EAST OF AURORA. EAST
OF DENVER GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS RANGED FROM 35 TO 55 MPH
PRODUCED EXTENSIVE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...RANGING FROM 1
TO 4 FEET IN DEPTH. STORM TOTALS RANGED FROM 3 TO 5 INCHES.
IN THE MOUNTAIN AND FOOTHILLS...THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL
OCCURRED ALONG AND NORTH OF I-70 AND INCLUDED: 12 INCHES AT
GENESEE...9 INCHES NEAR ELDORADO SPRINGS; 8.5 INCHES AT COAL
CREEK CANYON...8 INCHES NEAR EVERGREEN...WITH 6 INCHES AT
ELDORA SKI AREA...IDAHO SPRINGS...GROSS RESERVOIR AND
NEDERLAND. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...1.7 INCHES OF
SNOWFALL WAS OBSERVED. IN ADDITION...A PEAK WIND GUST TO 35
MPH WAS OBSERVED FROM THE NORTH ON THE 19TH.
18-21 IN 2010...A WINTER STORM PRODUCED A 4-DAY PERIOD OF MODERATE TO
HEAVY SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WIND
AND HEAVY SNOW FORCED THE CLOSURE OF SEVERAL MOUNTAIN PASSES
DUE TO THE THREAT OF AVALANCHES. THE AMTRACK TRAIN ROUTE...
WHICH RUNS FROM DENVER TO CALIFORNIA...WAS REROUTED THROUGH
WYOMING WHEN UNION PACIFIC CLOSED ITS TRACKS ALONG
INTERSTATE 70. NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS FORCED THE CLOSURE OF
I-70 AT TIMES. THE WIND GUSTED TO 60 MPH OVER THE HIGHER
MOUNTAIN PASSES. STORM TOTALS IN THE SKI AREAS WEST OF
DENVER RANGED FROM 16 TO 32 INCHES.
18-24 IN 1998...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WITH NORTH WINDS GUSTING AS
HIGH AS 38 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 18TH
DROPPED TEMPERATURES FROM A HIGH OF 51 DEGREES TO A LOW OF
JUST 6 DEGREES BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE ARCTIC AIR MASS THAT
SETTLED OVER METRO DENVER PRODUCED INTERMITTENT LIGHT SNOW
AND A WEEK-LONG PROTRACTED COLD SPELL THAT CAUSED LOW
TEMPERATURES TO PLUNGE WELL BELOW ZERO FOR 6 CONSECUTIVE
NIGHTS. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS 19 DEGREES BELOW ZERO
ON THE MORNING OF THE 22ND. HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMBED ONLY
INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ON 4 CONSECUTIVE DAYS...FROM THE 19TH
THROUGH THE 22ND. AT LEAST 15 PEOPLE...MOSTLY HOMELESS...
WERE TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA AT AREA HOSPITALS. THE BITTER
COLD WEATHER WAS RESPONSIBLE...EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY...
FOR AT LEAST 5 FATALITIES. THREE OF THE VICTIMS DIED
DIRECTLY FROM EXPOSURE. THE COLD WEATHER ALSO CAUSED
INTERMITTENT POWER OUTAGES. FOLLOWING THE COLD SNAP...
THAWING WATER PIPES CRACKED AND BURST IN SEVERAL HOMES AND
BUSINESSES...CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. ONLY ONE TEMPERATURE
RECORD WAS SET. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 7 DEGREES ON
THE 19TH SET A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
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