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NOUS45 KBOU 120959
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COZ030>051-122300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MST MON JAN 12 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
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.
11-12 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.
12 IN 1888...GALE FORCE WINDS TOPPLED THE WEATHER INSTRUMENT
SHELTER IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. THE STRONG WINDS IN THE
FOOTHILLS BLEW A TRAIN OFF THE TRACK AT GEORGETOWN.
NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 60 MPH IN THE CITY.
THE STRONG WINDS WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF
50 DEGREES.
IN 1980...STRONG WINDS IN BOULDER PEAKED TO 95 MPH AT TABLE
MESA. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 29 MPH AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1992...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM DUMPED HEAVY SNOW
ACROSS PORTIONS OF METRO DENVER. CONIFER...IN THE FOOTHILLS
SOUTHWEST OF DENVER...RECEIVED 17.5 INCHES OF SNOW. ELEVEN
INCHES FELL AT LAKE ELDORA WEST OF BOULDER...WITH 7 INCHES
RECORDED AT MORRISON AND 6 INCHES AT CASTLE ROCK. AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED
TO 31 MPH...THE SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 4.4 INCHES. STRONG
WINDS FORCED THE CLOSURE OF SOME HIGHWAYS.
IN 1998...VERY STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW CAUSED BLIZZARD
CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS TO SPREAD OVER PORTIONS OF
THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. JUST EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL
DIVIDE...SUSTAINED WINDS FROM 80 TO 85 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
100 MPH WERE RECORDED AT SILVER SPRUCE RANCH NEAR WARD...
RESULTING IN WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW
FELL AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 28 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2009...A FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW TO THE
FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES...AS WELL AS THE
WESTERN AND SOUTHERN DENVER SUBURBS. STORM TOTALS GENERALLY
RANGED FROM 4 TO 9 INCHES. THE SNOWFALL MEASUREMENT AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS 3.0 INCHES.
12-13 IN 1936...STRONG WINDS IN BOULDER BLEW ROOFS OFF HOMES. WIND
GUSTS OVER 60 MPH WERE RECORDED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
COLORADO AND A GUST TO 55 MPH MEASURED AT VALMONT.
IN 2002...HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED IN THE FOOTHILLS ON THE 12TH
AND SPREAD OVER THE PLAINS ON THE 13TH. WINDS GUSTED TO
76 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH ON
THE MESA IN BOULDER ON THE 12TH. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED
TO 49 MPH...THE HIGHEST WIND OF THE MONTH...AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 13TH. THE STRONGEST WINDS
WERE NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF METRO DENVER.
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