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NOUS45 KBOU 310959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-312300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST WED DEC 31 2025
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
25-31 IN 1980...TEMPERATURES WERE UNUSUALLY WARM DURING THE WEEK
BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S. HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR
THE WEEK RANGED FROM THE MID-50'S TO THE MID-70'S. FOUR
TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET. RECORD HIGHS OCCURRED ON
THE 26TH WITH 68 DEGREES...THE 27TH WITH 75 DEGREES...AND
THE 30TH WITH 71 DEGREES. A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 41 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE 27TH.
30-31 IN 1887...HEAVY SNOW TOTALED 6.5 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
MOST OF THE SNOW...4.5 INCHES...FELL ON THE 31ST. NORTH
WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 18 MPH.
IN 1928...SNOWFALL OF 0.6 INCH WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE SNOW
OF THE MONTH IN THE CITY.
IN 1947...POST-FRONTAL HEAVY SNOW TOTALED 6.3 INCHES OVER
DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 30TH.
NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 17 MPH ON THE 30TH.
IN 1995...THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER RECEIVED 5 TO 9 INCHES
OF NEW SNOW...EXCEPT FOR BAILEY WHERE 11 INCHES OF SNOW WERE
MEASURED. NO SNOW FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2021...THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON FINALLY
MADE ITS MARK...IMPACTING THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS...AND NEARBY
PLAINS WITH MUCH NEEDED MOISTURE. IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS...STORM TOTALS RANGED FROM 6 TO 15 INCHES.
ELSEWHERE 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW FELL WEST OF I-25...WITH
3 TO 7 INCHES EAST OF THE INTERSTATE. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...4.5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED.
31 IN 1890...NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 46 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 60 MPH BEHIND AN APPARENT COLD FRONT. A TRACE
OF SLEET FELL.
IN 1899...NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 44 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 48 MPH. THE CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE TEMPERATURE
TO A HIGH OF 49 DEGREES.
IN 1927...THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW ZERO ALL DAY. THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 3 DEGREES BELOW ZERO WAS A RECORD LOW
MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE. THE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 11 DEGREES
BELOW ZERO.
IN 1970...WARM CHINOOK WINDS WHISTLED THROUGH BOULDER. A WIND
GUST TO 92 MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH...WHILE AT THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF
STANDARDS...WINDS PEAKED TO 70 MPH. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING
TO 30 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 60 DEGREES AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1993...OCCASIONAL HIGH WINDS OCCURRED NORTHWEST OF DENVER
AND IN THE FOOTHILLS. A WIND GUST TO 85 MPH WAS RECORDED
AT JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT IN BROOMFIELD. WIND GUSTS TO
86 MPH OCCURRED ON SQUAW MOUNTAIN WITH 75 MPH RECORDED AT
ROLLINSVILLE. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 46 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2011...AN INTENSE AND FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM...PRODUCED A
POWERFUL WINDSTORM ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE. IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...SEVERAL LOCATIONS RECORDED WIND
GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 100 MPH. NUMEROUS TREES WERE KNOCKED
DOWN THROUGHOUT ARAPAHOE NATIONAL FOREST. ONE MAN WAS
KILLED WHEN HE WAS IMPALED BY A FALLING TREE LIMB WHILE
DRIVING ALONG U.S. HIGHWAY 36...NORTH OF BOULDER. THE
STRONG WINDS PRODUCED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO FENCES AND ROOFS...
AND ALSO KNOCKED DOWN TREES WHICH RESULTED IN POWER
OUTAGES THAT AFFECTED 19 THOUSAND RESIDENTS ALONG THE
FRONT RANGE. IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...PEAK WIND
GUSTS INCLUDED: 111 MPH...3 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF
PINECLIFFE; 101 MPH...1 MILE WEST OF LYONS; 94 MPH ATOP
BERTHOUD PASS; 86 MPH...3 MILES SOUTH OF GOLDEN; 84 MPH...
4 MILES NORTHWEST OF BOULDER; 81 MPH IN BOULDER; 79 MPH
AT KENOSHA PASS...NCAR MESA LAB AND THE JUNCTION OF U.S.
HIGHWAYS 72 AND 93; 77 MPH AT THE NATIONAL WIND TECHNOLOGY
CENTER; AND 76 MPH...3 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF MORRISON.
PEAK WIND GUSTS FOR THE URBAN CORRIDOR INCLUDED: 80 MPH...3
MILE EAST OF CEDAR POINT; 77 MPH IN NORTH LONGMONT; 67
MPH...10 MILES EAST OF PARKER; 64 MPH AT BUCKLEY AFB AND
LAKEWOOD; 60 MPH AT BENNETT AND FRONT RANGE AIRPORT IN
WATKINS; 59 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND DEER
TRAIL; 58 MPH AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL AIRPORT IN
BROOMFIELD AND 2 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF LOUISVILLE.
IN 2021...MUCH OF THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...URBAN CORRIDOR
AND ADJACENT PLAINS WERE CLASSIFIED TO BE IN SEVERE TO
EXTREME DROUGHT (D2/D3) THROUGH THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.
THESE CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE MARSHALL
WILDFIRE...THE COSTLIEST FIRE IN COLORADO HISTORY. THE FRONT
RANGE EXPERIENCED A VERY WET FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR...WITH
WELL ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND LUSH...TALL GRASS GROWTH.
HOWEVER...STARTING AROUND JULY...A PERSISTENTLY DRY WEATHER
PATTERN SET UP AND HELD FIRM THROUGH THE ENTIRE FALL AND
EARLY WINTER. VEGETATION...WHILE TYPICALLY DRY THIS TIME OF
YEAR...WAS EXCEPTIONALLY DRY AS VERY LITTLE PRECIPITATION
HAD FALLEN THROUGH THE ENTIRE FALL SEASON. THE ONGOING
DROUGHT CONDITIONS ENSURED LARGER FUELS SUCH AS SHRUBS AND
TREES WERE LIKEWISE CRITICALLY DRY. FROM THE PERIOD OF JULY
1ST THROUGH DECEMBER 29TH...TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION
CLIMATE RECORDS SHOWED DENVER WAS THE 2ND WARMEST...AND BY
FAR THE DRIEST IN RECORDED HISTORY...SINCE 1872. BOULDER WAS
RANKED AS 2ND WARMEST FOR PRECIPITATION...WHILE 13TH DRIEST
IN RECORDED HISTORY.
31-1 IN 1900...LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED TO 19 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON
BOTH DAYS TO ESTABLISH DAILY RECORD MINIMUM TEMPERATURES.
IN 1975...ONLY 4.2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...WHILE NORTH OF DENVER A MAJOR
BLIZZARD RAGED. ALL ROADS NORTH OF DENVER INTO WYOMING
WERE CLOSED WHEN STRONG WINDS WHIPPED SNOW INTO 5 TO 6
FOOT DRIFTS. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 43 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 31ST...CAUSING SOME BLOWING
SNOW. FREEZING DRIZZLE ALSO FELL ON THE 31ST.
IN 1984...HEAVY SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH 8 INCHES AT
BOULDER AND 6 INCHES IN SOUTHERN AND WESTERN METRO DENVER.
ONLY 1.5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVERNIGHT AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1991...A NEW YEAR'S EVE SNOW STORM DUMPED 2 TO 8 INCHES OF
SNOW ACROSS NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. SNOWFALL TOTALED 3.4
INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE 1.9 INCHES
OF SNOW THAT FELL ON THE 31ST WAS THE ONLY MEASURABLE
SNOWFALL OF THE MONTH.
IN 2008...ANOTHER BRIEF PERIOD OF HIGH WINDS OCCURRED IN AND
NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES. IN
NEDERLAND...THE STRONG WIND SNAPPED A BLUE SPRUCE WHICH
LANDED ON A NEARBY PROPANE TANK. SOME ROOFS IN THE
IMMEDIATE AREA WERE DAMAGED AND POWER LINES WERE DOWNED;
WHICH LEFT 126 RESIDENCES WITHOUT ELECTRICITY FOR SIX
HOURS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED 90 MPH AT THE NATIONAL
WIND TECHNOLOGY CENTER...AND 89 MPH; 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF
BOULDER. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...A PEAK WIND GUST
OF 23 MPH WAS MEASURED FROM THE SOUTHWEST.
31-6 IN 1973...THE 31ST MARKED THE START OF A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL
THAT EXTENDED INTO JANUARY OF 1974 WHEN TEMPERATURES
DIPPED BELOW ZERO ON 7 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. RECORD DAILY
MINIMUM READINGS OCCURRED ON THE 3RD AND 5TH WHEN THE
TEMPERATURE PLUNGED TO 17 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON BOTH DAYS.
A RECORD LOW DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 4 DEGREES
OCCURRED ON THE 5TH.
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.
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