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NOUS45 KBOU 070959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-072300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST WED JAN 7 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
31-7 IN 1941...A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL THROUGH JANUARY 7...1942...
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. THE COLDEST DAYS DURING THE
PERIOD WERE THE 1ST WITH A HIGH OF 2 DEGREES AND
A LOW OF 9 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...THE 4TH WITH A HIGH OF 2
DEGREES AND A LOW OF 11 DEGREES BELOW ZERO...AND THE 5TH
WITH A HIGH OF 26 DEGREES AND A LOW OF 12 DEGREES BELOW
ZERO.
6-7 IN 1908...FURIOUS HIGH WINDS WERE NOTED IN BOULDER BUT
CAUSED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE AND INJURY.
IN 1913...A VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR MASS CAUSED TEMPERATURES TO
PLUNGE TO RECORD LEVELS. THE LOW TEMPERATURE FELL TO 21
DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 6TH AND TO 18 DEGREES BELOW
ZERO ON THE 7TH...BOTH RECORDS. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF
ONLY 8 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 6TH WAS A RECORD LOW
MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
IN 1920...POST-FRONTAL HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.0 INCHES IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED AT 24 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH ON THE 6TH.
IN 1923...WARM CHINOOK WINDS RESULTED IN TWO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS. LOW TEMPERATURES OF 37 DEGREES ON THE 6TH
AND 42 DEGREES ON THE 7TH EQUALED THE RECORD HIGH
MINIMUMS FOR THE DATES. WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO
30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 33 MPH ON THE 6TH. SOUTHWEST
WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 47 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 52 MPH
ON THE 7TH. HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE 53 DEGREES ON THE
6TH AND 56 DEGREES ON THE 7TH.
IN 1986...2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER METRO DENVER...
WITH 5 TO 8 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF THE CITY.
THE 2.4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL RECORDED AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS THE ONLY SNOWFALL OF THE
MONTH. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 24 MPH AT THE
AIRPORT.
IN 2006...A BRIEF WARM SPELL RESULTED IN TWO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS. HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 66 DEGREES ON THE 6TH
AND 69 DEGREES ON THE 7TH EQUALED THE RECORD DAILY
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES FOR EACH OF THOSE DAYS. LOW
TEMPERATURES REMAINED ABOVE FREEZING AND WERE WITHIN
1 OR 2 DEGREES OF THE RECORD DAILY HIGH MINIMUMS.
7 IN 1911...WEST CHINOOK WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 51 MPH
AND WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 56 DEGREES.
IN 1994...OCCASIONAL HIGH WINDS BUFFETED THE EASTERN
FOOTHILLS. WIND GUSTS TO 99 MPH WERE RECORDED AT
ROLLINSVILLE...SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER. WEST WINDS GUSTED
TO 40 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1995...A BRIEF BLAST OF HIGH WINDS HIT THE EASTERN
FOOTHILLS AND ADJACENT FRONT RANGE COMMUNITIES. A WIND
GUST TO 112 MPH WAS RECORDED ATOP SQUAW MOUNTAIN...WEST OF
DENVER. IN BOULDER...WINDS GUSTED TO 81 MPH. WEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 31 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2009...DAMAGING DOWNSLOPE WINDS WERE REPONSIBLE FOR
TRIGGERING TWO WILDFIRES THAT THREATENED THE CITY OF
BOULDER. PEAK WIND GUSTS RANGED FROM 75 TO 107 MPH IN
AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER...JEFFERSON AND PARK
COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH THE FIRES NEVER MERGED...THEY WERE
CLOSE ENOUGH FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO BUILD A PERIMETER AROUND
BOTH OF THEM. THE FIRES QUICKELY TORCHED 3000 ACRES AND
FORCED THE EVACUATION OF UP TO 1400 FAMILES. ONE HOME
WAS DESTROYED ALONG WITH SEVERAL BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS.
THREE FIREMEN SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. IN BAILEY...POWER
LINES WERE DOWNED BY FALLING TREES. A TIN ROOF ON AN
AUTO REPAIR SHOP IN TOWN WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY BLOWN OFF.
PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 107 MPH NEAR MT. AUDUBON...92
MPH NEAR EVERGREEN...87 MPH...6 MILES NORTHWEST OF BOULDER;
81 MPH NEAR BERGEN PARK AND AT THE NATIONAL WIND
TECHNOLOGY CENTER; 79 MPH NEAR NEDERLAND...77 MPH NEAR
SHERIDAN...AND 75 MPH AT GENESEE. A PEAK WIND GUST OF
39 MPH WAS MEASURED AT DENVER INTERNATINAL AIRPORT FROM
THE WEST.
IN 2020...HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF
BOULDER AND NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES. PEAK WIND GUSTS
INCLUDED: 89 MPH IN WEST LONGMONT...83 MPH AT THE NCAR MESA
LABORATORY...AND 80 MPH AT THE JUNCTION OF STATE HIGHWAYS
93 AND 72. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 38 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
7-8 IN 1911...GALE FORCE WINDS OCCURRED IN BOULDER CAUSING MINOR
INJURIES.
IN 1937...COLD ARCTIC AIR PLUNGED TEMPERATURES BELOW ZERO
FOR AN ESTIMATED 56 CONSECUTUVE HOURS. TWO TEMPERATURE
RECORDS WERE SET. HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 8 DEGREES BELOW
ZERO ON THE 7TH AND 3 DEGREES ON THE 8TH WERE RECORD LOW
MAXIMUM READINGS FOR THOSE DATES. LOW TEMPERATURES
PLUNGED TO 12 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 7TH AND 11 DEGREES
BELOW ZERO ON THE 8TH. SNOWFALL WAS 1.4 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN
DENVER.
IN 1969...A VIOLENT EVENING WINDSTORM STRUCK BOULDER AND THE
ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. A WIND GUST TO 130 MPH WAS RECORDED
AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH. WINDS
REACHED 96 MPH IN DOWNTOWN BOULDER. THE BOULDER AIRPORT
WIND RECORDER WAS BLOWN AWAY AFTER MEASURING A WIND GUST
TO 80 MPH. THE WINDSTORM CAUSED OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS
IN DAMAGE AND ONE FATALITY IN BOULDER. ABOUT 25 HOMES IN
SOUTH BOULDER HAD ROOFS BLOWN OFF OR WERE SEVERELY
DAMAGED. ROOFS WERE BLOWN OFF BUILDINGS HOUSING
SCIENTIFIC LABORATORIES AND OFFICES OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE SERVICES ADMINISTRATION...NOW NOAA...IN BOULDER...AND
INSTALLATIONS OF SEVERAL SCIENTIFIC MEASURING SITES NEAR
BOULDER RECEIVED HEAVY DAMAGE. GRASS FIRES DRIVEN BY THE
HIGH WINDS ENDANGERED MANY AREAS...BUT WERE CONTROLLED BY
VOLUNTEER FIREMEN. ONE MAN DIED FROM INJURIES RECEIVED
WHEN HE WAS BLOWN FROM A FIRE TRUCK. ONE MAN WAS KILLED
AND ANOTHER INJURED WHEN THE TRUCK CAMPER IN WHICH THEY
WERE RIDING WAS BLOWN OFF I-25 ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF
DENVER. IN THE SAME AREA A MOBILE HOME AND A TRUCK
TRAILER WERE BLOWN OFF THE HIGHWAY AND DEMOLISHED. AT
LEAST 20 PEOPLE IN THE BOULDER AREA RECEIVED LIGHT TO
SERIOUS INJURIES FROM FLYING DEBRIS OR FROM BEING BLOWN
INTO OBSTRUCTIONS. POWER LINES AND TREES WERE DOWNED
OVER A WIDE AREA. DAMAGE WAS RELATIVELY LIGHT IN THE
CITY OF DENVER...WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 62 MPH
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 8TH. MANY
WINDOWS WERE BROKEN IN ARVADA...ENGLEWOOD...AND LITTLETON.
A 27-YEAR-OLD FIRE LOOKOUT TOWER ON SQUAW MOUNTAIN...WEST
OF DENVER...WAS BLOWN AWAY...AND SEVERAL RADIO RELAY TOWERS
AT THAT LOCATION WERE TOPPLED. TRUCKS WERE OVERTURNED
NEAR GEORGETOWN. MOBILE HOMES WERE OVERTURNED IN SEVERAL
AREAS WITH OCCUPANTS RECEIVING INJURIES IN SOME CASES.
THE STRONG CHINOOK WINDS ALSO BROUGHT WARM WEATHER. THE
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 69 DEGREES ON THE 7TH BROKE THE
OLD RECORD OF 65 DEGREES SET IN 1948. THE TEMPERATURE
ALSO REACHED 65 DEGREES ON THE 8TH...BUT WAS NOT A RECORD.
IN 1992...AN INTENSE BLIZZARD BURIED EASTERN PARTS OF METRO
DENVER. AT TIMES SNOW FELL AT RATES OF 2 TO 3 INCHES AN
HOUR. WINDS INCREASED FROM THE NORTH AT SPEEDS OF 25 TO
45 MPH. DRIFTS OF 4 TO 8 FEET WERE COMMON. I-70 WAS
CLOSED EAST OF DENVER...AND I-25 WAS CLOSED FROM DENVER
SOUTH. SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGED FROM A COUPLE OF INCHES IN
THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER TO AS MUCH AS 2 FEET ON THE
EAST SIDE OF METRO DENVER. THE HEAVIEST SNOW FELL ON THE
7TH IN A BAND FROM THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF WESTMINSTER AND
THORNTON THROUGH AURORA AND EAST DENVER TO SOUTHEAST OF
PARKER. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED: 22 INCHES IN SOUTHEAST
AURORA...14.8 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...13
INCHES IN NORTHGLENN...10 INCHES IN PARKER...AND 9 INCHES IN
WESTMINSTER. THE 14.5 INCHES OF SNOWFALL MEASURED ON THE
7TH INTO THE 8TH IS THE GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL EVER
RECORDED IN THE CITY DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY. NORTH
WINDS GUSTING TO 46 MPH CAUSED MUCH BLOWING SNOW AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2000...HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WERE GENERALLY CONFINED
TO FOOTHILLS AREAS NORTH OF I-70. A WIND GUST TO 76 MPH
WAS REPORTED IN GOLDEN GATE CANYON. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO
37 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 8TH.
7-10 IN 1962...A MAJOR WINTER STORM DUMPED 13.5 INCHES OF SNOW ON
METRO DENVER. A FOOT OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 8TH WHEN
NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH. THE STORM WAS FOLLOWED
BY AN INTENSE BLAST OF VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR. MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE READINGS OF 24 DEGREES BELOW ZERO OCCURRED ON
BOTH THE 9TH AND 10TH. THE TEMPERATURE NEVER REACHED ABOVE
ZERO ON THE 9TH WHEN A MAXIMUM READING OF 1 DEGREE BELOW
ZERO WAS RECORDED. TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO FOR 37
CONSECUTIVE HOURS.
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