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NOUS45 KBOU 110959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-112300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST SUN JAN 11 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
10-11 IN 1948...STRONG WINDS WERE REPORTED IN BOULDER AND LAKEWOOD.
WINDS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WERE REPORTED AT VALMONT...JUST EAST
OF BOULDER. ONLY MINOR DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1980...STRONG WINDS OF 60 TO 95 MPH HOWLED ACROSS METRO
DENVER...CAUSING SOME BRIEF POWER OUTAGES AND SOME BROKEN
WINDOWS. A WIND GUST TO 111 MPH WAS RECORDED AT WONDERVU.
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 40 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT ON THE 10TH.
IN 1999...HIGH WINDS GUSTING TO 100 MPH BLASTED THE FOOTHILLS.
PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 100 MPH AT CENTRAL CITY...98 MPH
AT WONDERVU...82 MPH AT ASPEN SPRINGS AND GOLDEN GATE CANYON...
81 MPH AT THE NCAR MESA LAB IN BOULDER AND NEAR NEDERLAND...
78 MPH ATOP BLUE MOUNTAIN NEAR COAL CREEK CANYON...AND 72
MPH AT THE ROCKY FLATS ENVIRONMENTAL TEST FACILITY. WEST
WINDS GUSTED TO 38 MPH AND WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH
OF 63 DEGREES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 11TH.
10-12 IN 1997...HEAVY SNOW FELL OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS.
A FOOT OF NEW SNOW WAS MEASURED AT BLACKHAWK WITH 7 INCHES
RECORDED IN COAL CREEK CANYON. ONLY 3.3 INCHES OF SNOW
FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 18 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 11TH.
10-13 IN 1963...A ARCTIC COLD WAVE PLUNGED TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW
ZERO ACROSS METRO DENVER. TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW ZERO FOR
A TOTAL OF 64 CONSECUTIVE HOURS. LOW TEMPERATURES REACHED
25 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON BOTH THE 11TH AND 12TH. THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 9 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 11TH WAS THE
COLDEST EVER RECORDED AT STAPLETON AIRPORT AND EQUALED
THE RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE MONTH FIRST SET ON JANUARY
19...1883...IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ON THE
12TH REACHED ONLY 1 DEGREE BELOW ZERO. ON THE 12TH...AN
18-YEAR-OLD YOUTH DIED OF EXPOSURE FROM THE EXTREME COLD
IN DENVER. THERE WERE MANY LOSSES AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY
FROM FROZEN WATER SYSTEMS...STALLED CARS...AND OVER-BURDENED
HEATING SYSTEMS. LIGHT SNOW ACCOMPANIED THE ARCTIC BLAST.
AT STAPLETON AIRPORT...2.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON THE 10TH
AND 11TH.
11 IN 1887...NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH IN THE CITY.
IN 1893...NORTHWEST WINDS TO 48 MPH WERE RECORDED IN THE CITY.
IN 1901...NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 45 MPH WITH AN
EXTREME VELOCITY OF 47 MPH.
IN 1988...STRONG CHINOOK WINDS BLEW THROUGHOUT THE DAY ALONG
THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS. WINDS PEAKED TO 75 MPH IN BOULDER...
BREAKING AT LEAST ONE WINDOW. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO 49
MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1989...2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER
CAUSING NEAR GRIDLOCK CONDITIONS DURING THE MORNING
RUSH HOUR AND TWO-HOUR DELAYS AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. TWO TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW WHITENED BOULDER WHERE
MANY TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS WERE REPORTED. SNOWFALL MEASURED
2.9 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 21 MPH.
IN 1995...HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED IN THE FOOTHILLS. A GUST TO
67 MPH WAS RECORDED AT ROCKY FLATS IN NORTHERN JEFFERSON
COUNTY. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 32 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996...VERY STRONG WINDS WERE REPORTED IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS FOR A BRIEF TIME. WIND GUSTS TO 85 MPH WERE
RECORDED AT GOLDEN GATE CANYON...WITH 95 MPH AT WONDERVU.
11-12 IN 1972...HIGH WINDS HOWLED ALONG THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS.
A WIND GUST TO 144 MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE NATIONAL CENTER
FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH IN BOULDER. A WIND GUST TO 105
MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE ROCKY FLATS PLANT SOUTH OF BOULDER.
WIND GUSTS TO 90 MPH WERE RECORDED IN DOWNTOWN BOULDER.
THE GREATEST DAMAGE FROM THE WINDSTORM OCCURRED IN BOULDER
WHERE 25 OR MORE MOBILE HOMES WERE DESTROYED EITHER BY WIND
OR THE FIRES WHICH RESULTED WHEN THEY WERE OVERTURNED.
CAR WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT; MANY BUILDINGS DAMAGED; UTILITY
POLES...POWER LINES...TREES...AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS BLOWN DOWN.
AS MANY AS 75 FAMILIES WERE EVACUATED FROM A RECENTLY
COMPLETED APARTMENT BUILDING BECAUSE OF SEVERE STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE. GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE OFFICE BUILDINGS AND
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS WERE EVACUATED BECAUSE OF DANGER FROM
FLYING GLASS AND DEBRIS. TWELVE PEOPLE WERE TREATED AT
THE HOSPITAL...MOSTLY FOR CUTS FROM FLYING GLASS. AT
LEAST 15 SMALL PLANES WERE SERIOUSLY DAMAGED AND HANGAR
DOORS WERE BLOWN OFF AT THE JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT IN
BROOMFIELD. WIND DAMAGE IN BOULDER ALONE TOTALED 2 MILLION
DOLLARS. AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...WEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 53 MPH ON THE 11TH AND TO 47 MPH ON THE 12TH.
THE STRONG CHINOOK WINDS WARMED TEMPERATURES INTO THE MID
50'S ON BOTH DAYS.
IN 2019...AN UPSLOPE SNOW EVENT PRODUCED HEAVY SNOW IN THE
SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE...WITH
LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL ELSEWHERE. IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 18
INCHES AT SCHAFFERS CROSSING...16.5 INCHES NEAR TINY TOWN...
15.5 INCHES IN PINECLIFFE...14 INCHES IN CRESCENT VILLAGE...
13.5 INCHES NEAR ASPEN PARK...13 INCHES...11 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF ARAPAHOE PARK; 12.5 INCHES NEAR GENESEE AND KITTREDGE...
12 INCHES NEAR PERRY PARK...11 INCHES NEAR CONIFER...WITH
6 TO 10 INCHES ELSEWHERE. ACROSS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN
SUBURBS OF DENVER STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 7.5 INCHES NEAR
CENTENNIAL...6 INCHES IN LOUISVILLE AND WESTMINSTER...5.5
INCHES IN FEDERAL HEIGHTS...5 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD...WITH 2
TO 4 INCHES ELSEWHERE. THE OFFICIAL SNOWFALL MEASUREMENT
AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS 1.3 INCHES.
11-14 IN 1997...COLD ARCTIC AIR PLUNGED TEMPERATURES BELOW ZERO
ACROSS METRO DENVER. THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW ZERO FOR
60 CONSECUTIVE HOURS FROM THE AFTERNOON ON THE 11TH TO
AROUND DAYBREAK ON THE 14TH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY
1 DEGREE BELOW ZERO ON THE 12TH EQUALED THE RECORD LOW
MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE LAST SET IN 1963. THE LOW TEMPERATURE
DIPPED TO 14 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 12TH.
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