568
NOUS45 KBOU 220959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-222300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST THU JAN 22 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
15-23 IN 1962...A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL KEPT METRO DENVER IN THE
DEEP FREEZE FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. FROM THE 15TH THRU THE
23RD...LOW TEMPERATURES WERE ZERO OR BELOW FOR 9 CONSECUTIVE
DAYS...BUT A DAILY RECORD LOW WAS SET ONLY ON THE 22ND WHEN
THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 14 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. A RECORD
LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE WAS ALSO SET ON THE 22ND WHEN THE
TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO ONLY 11 DEGREES. THE COLDEST HIGH
TEMPERATURE WAS 3 DEGREES ABOVE ZERO ON THE 21ST...WHICH DID
NOT BREAK THE RECORD. 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. THE SEVERE COLD
CAUSED MUCH DAMAGE TO WATER SYSTEMS. A WOMAN WAS FROZEN TO
DEATH AT MORRISON. THERE WERE OTHER DEATHS ATTRIBUTABLE TO
THE WEATHER...INCLUDING TRAFFIC DEATHS AND HEART ATTACKS
FROM OVEREXERTION.
18-24 IN 2005...A WEEK OF MID-WINTER UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER
PUSHED HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 60'S OR MORE ON ALL
BUT ONE DAY. DURING THE PERIOD...THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE
OF 70 DEGREES ON THE 20TH WAS A NEW RECORD MAXIMUM FOR
THE DATE. LOW TEMPERATURES REMAINED ABOVE FREEZING ON
4 OF THE DAYS.
20-22 IN 1937...A SECOND INCURSION OF COLD ARCTIC IN LESS THAN TWO
WEEKS KEPT TEMPERATURES IN THE DEEP FREEZE FOR THREE DAYS...
EVEN THOUGH ONLY ONE TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS SET DURING THE
PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO FOR AN ESTIMATED 53
CONSECUTIVE HOURS. 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...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 1 DEGREE BELOW ZERO
WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE. LOW READINGS ON
BOTH THE 21ST AND 22ND WERE 9 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
IN 1971...HIGH WINDS RAKED BOULDER. 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. MINOR PERSONAL INJURIES OCCURRED...AND
REPORTED DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES TOTALED 15 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
ON THE 21ST...NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 44 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE
TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 69 DEGREES ON THE 20TH...WHICH
EQUALED THE RECORD FOR THE DATE.
IN 1993...SPORADIC 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. WIND
GUSTS OF 55 TO 65 MPH WERE COMMON. SOME SIGNIFICANT WIND
REPORTS INCLUDED 82 MPH AT ROLLINSVILLE AND ATOP SQUAW
MOUNTAIN WEST OF DENVER...AND 75 MPH ON ROCKY FLATS. AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 35
MPH ON THE 20TH...44 MPH ON THE 21ST...AND 55 MPH ON THE
22ND.
21-22 IN 1972...WIND GUSTS TO 74 MPH WERE RECORDED AT THE NATIONAL
BUREAU OF STANDARDS IN BOULDER...WHILE IN DOWNTOWN BOULDER
WIND GUSTS TO 56 MPH WERE MEASURED. THE STRONG WINDS
OVERTURNED A PLANE AT THE ARAPAHOE COUNTY AIRPORT. A
MOTORCYCLIST DIED OF INJURIES WHEN HE WAS BLOWN OFF A
BOULDER COUNTY ROAD. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 39 MPH
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 21ST.
IN 1999...HEAVY SNOW DEVELOPED ACROSS PORTIONS OF METRO
DENVER AND IN THE FOOTHILLS. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED:
8 INCHES IN GOLDEN GATE CANYON...INTERCANYON...ROLLINSVILLE...
AND PARKER; 7 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...GROSS RESERVOIR...
PINE JUNCTION...AND 5 MILES SOUTH OF SEDALIA; 6 INCHES AT
HIGHLANDS RANCH; AND 5 INCHES AT EAGLECREST...ELDORADO
SPRINGS...AND LOUISVILLE. SNOWFALL TOTALED 2.6 INCHES AT
THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
ON THE 21ST...NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 31 MPH AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2019...A WINTER STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT A MIX OF STRONG
WINDS WITH POCKETS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO THE
SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE; WITH
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OBSERVED ALONG INTERSTATE 70 EAST
OF AURORA. I-70 WAS CLOSED IN THE MORNING THROUGH EARLY
AFTERNOON ON THE 22ND...FROM THE EXIT AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO THE KANSAS STATE LINE. PARTS
OF MAJOR HIGHWAYS INCLUDING I-25 SOUTH OF DENVER TOWARD
MONUMENT AND HIGHWAY 24 WERE ALSO CLOSED FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS ALONG I-70 WERE REPORTED DUE TO STRONG
WINDS AND LOW VISIBILITY OF A QUARTER MILE OR LESS. STRONG
NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTING FROM 45 TO 55 MPH WERE OBSERVED.
THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRED IN THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS AND THE PALMER DIVIDE SOUTH OF DENVER. STORM
TOTALS IN THOSE AREAS INCLUDED: 15 INCHES AT SHAFFERS
CROSSING; 10 INCHES IN CONIFER; 9 INCHES NEAR PONDEROSA
PARK WITH 6.5 INCHES IN BROOKVALE. IN ADDITION...5.5 INCHES
WAS OBSERVED AT CASTLE PINES WITH 1 TO 4 INCHES ELSEWHERE.
THE OFFICIAL SNOWFALL MEASUREMENT AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIPORT WAS 1.3 INCHES WITH A PEAK WIND GUST OF 38 MPH FROM
THE NORTH.
22 IN 1899...A COLD FRONT PRODUCED NORTHEAST SUSTAINED WINDS
TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH IN THE CITY.
IN 1951...A HEAVY WINDSTORM STRUCK BOULDER. MINOR DAMAGE WAS
REPORTED. STRONG POST-FRONTAL EAST WINDS GUSTED TO 45 MPH
AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1990...STRONG WINDS OF 50 TO 90 MPH BUFFETED THE FOOTHILLS.
NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO
37 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1992...STRONG WINDS RAKED THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS WITH A WIND
GUST TO 58 MPH RECORDED AT ROCKY FLATS JUST NORTHWEST OF
DENVER. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 25 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2003...ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS ALONG WITH A TRACE
OF SNOW ON THE 1ST WAS THE ONLY SNOW OF THE MONTH...WHICH
EQUALED THE RECORD FOR THE LEAST SNOWIEST JANUARY FIRST
SET IN 1934.
22-23 IN 1982...WIND 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.
22-26 IN 1948...THE 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. AT STAPLETON AIRPORT...19.0 INCHES
OF SNOW FELL...MAKING IT THE HEAVIEST SNOW IN JANUARY AND THE
5TH HEAVIEST SNOW OF RECORD AT THAT TIME. NORTH WINDS WERE
SUSTAINED TO A VELOCITY OF 23 MPH ON THE 25TH...BUT GENERALLY
THE WINDS WERE LIGHT THROUGHOUT THE STORM. THE SNOW
DISRUPTED TRAFFIC...BUT STREET CLEARING WAS BEGUN SOON AFTER
IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE SNOW WOULD BE HEAVY. OVER THE
5 DAYS...TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 48 DEGREES ON
THE 22ND TO A LOW OF 1 DEGREE ON THE 26TH. MOST READINGS
WERE IN THE TEENS AND 20'S DURING THE STORM.
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