Public Information Statement
Statement as of 6:45 PM MST on February 11, 2012
... This week in Metro Denver weather history...
10-12 in 1958... heavy snow fell across Metro Denver. At Stapleton
Airport... where northeast winds gusted to 22 mph... 6.7 inches
of snowfall were measured.
In 1995... cold Arctic air brought heavy snow to the foothills
and western Denver suburbs. Golden measured 15 inches of
snow with 14 inches in south Boulder. Locations in the
foothills recorded between 10 and 15 inches of snow. Only
6.1 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport
where north winds gusted to 30 mph on the 10th.
10-13 in 1905... an extremely cold Arctic air mass moved over the city
behind a cold front on the 10th and persisted through the
morning of the 13th. North winds were sustained to 25 mph
behind the front on the 10th dropping the temperature to a
low of 2 degrees below zero... which was also the high reading
on the 11th. Light snowfall totaled 3.0 inches overnight
of the 10th into the 11th. The low temperature plunged to
19 degrees below zero on the 11th. Records were set on the
12th and 13th. The high temperature of only zero degrees on
the 12th was a record low maximum for the date. The low
readings of 21 degrees below zero on the 12th and 14 degrees
below zero on the 13th were record minimum temperatures for
those dates.
11-12 in 1899... the temperature plunged to lows of 20 degrees below
zero on both days.
In 1900... northwest winds sustained to 52 mph with gusts to
60 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees on
the 11th. An apparent cold front overnight produced 3.7
inches of snow and northeast winds gusting to 30 mph.
The high temperature on the 12th was only 26 degrees.
In 1994... moist upslope winds and an upper level storm system
produced heavy snow over western portions of Metro Denver.
Snowfall amounts totaled 10 inches in Golden and 8 inches
at strontia Springs Reservoir 15 miles southwest of Denver
in the South Platte canyon. Snowfall at Stapleton
International Airport totaled only 3.6 inches... but north
winds gusting to 35 mph on the 11th produced occasional
visibilities as low as 1/4 mile in heavy snowfall and
blowing snow.
11-13 in 1903... west to northwest Chinook winds gusting to 34 mph
warmed the temperature to a high of 50 degrees on the 11th...
before temperatures rapidly plunged to a low of 14 degrees
behind a cold front. Light snow fell through the 13th and
totaled 4.2 inches in the city... while temperatures ranged
from a high of 14 degrees on the 12th to a low of 5 degrees
below zero on the 13th.
12 in 1874... 5 inches of snow fell in downtown Denver. Melted
snow resulted in 0.31 inch of precipitation.
In 1875... Forest fires burned very brightly in the foothills
to the west of Denver.
12-13 in 1915... heavy snowfall totaled 7.0 inches over downtown
Denver. Northwest winds were sustained to 24 mph on the
13th.
In 1951... heavy snowfall totaled 8.1 inches at Stapleton
Airport where northeast winds gusted to 28 mph on the 12th.
In 1968... snowfall totaled 5.6 inches at Stapleton
International Airport where northeast winds gusted to
26 mph. Snow fell all day on the 12th and into the morning
hours of the 13th.
In 1997... heavy snow fell in the foothills southwest of
Denver. Conifer... Evergreen... Morrison... and north Turkey
Creek received 6 to 8 inches of new snow overnight.
Only 0.2 inch of snow fell at the site of the former
Stapleton International Airport. North-northeast winds
gusted to 23 mph at Denver International Airport on the
13th.
13 in 1886... northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph during
the early morning hours... but winds were strong and gusty
all day.
In 1918... west winds were sustained to 42 mph with a measured
extreme velocity to 44 mph. The strong Chinook winds
warmed the temperature to a high of 58 degrees.
In 1988... high winds raked Metro Denver. Boulder reported a
wind gust to 67 mph with 63 mph at Lakewood and 49 mph at
Stapleton International Airport. The strong winds toppled
a tree onto a car in Aurora. Northwest winds gusting to
49 mph at Stapleton International Airport warmed the
temperature to a high of 64 degrees.
In 2010... a peak wind gust to 89 mph was recorded in Boulder.
North winds gusted to 28 mph at Denver International
Airport.
13-14 in 1895... a cold air mass settled over the city. High
temperatures of only 4 degrees on the 13th and 8 degrees
on the 14th were record low maximum temperatures for each
day. Low temperatures were 6 degrees below zero on the
13th and 5 degrees below zero on the 14th... but were not
records. Light snow totaled only 0.4 inch. Winds were
light.
In 1960... snowfall totaled 6.1 inches and north-northwest
winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1967... high winds were widespread along the foothills where
wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph were common. A wind gust to 108
mph was measured at the National center for atmospheric
research in Boulder. Sustained winds of 50 to 55 mph with
gusts as high as 70 mph were recorded in downtown Boulder.
An estimated 3 thousand dollars in damage occurred to
Mobile homes in Boulder. Power lines were downed over a
wide area. At Stapleton International Airport... west winds
gusted to 32 mph on the 13th and southwest winds gusted to
48 mph on the 14th.
In 1972... winds gusted to 67 mph at the National Bureau of
standards in Boulder. Wind gusts to 49 mph were measured
in downtown Boulder. West winds gusted to 26 mph at
Stapleton International Airport.
In 2001... heavy snow fell across Metro Denver and in the
foothills. Snowfall totals included: 8 inches at
evergreen; 7 inches atop Crow Hill and in lakewood;
6 inches in Denver... doubleheader... Eldorado Springs...
Morrison... and Pine Junction. Snowfall totaled 4.8 inches
at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
Northeast winds gusted to 33 mph at Denver International
Airport on the 13th.
14 in 1918... southwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with a
measured extreme velocity to 46 mph.
In 1987... Metro Denver received only 3 to 4 inches of snow...
but the foothills west of Boulder received up to 11 inches
of snow. Snowfall totaled 4.2 inches at Stapleton
International Airport where north winds gusted to 31 mph.
In 1988... winds gusted to 81 mph at Echo Lake.
In 2002... high winds developed in the Front Range foothills
during the early morning hours. Winds gusted to 84 mph...
11 miles north of Central City. West winds gusted to
43 mph at Denver International Airport.
14-15 in 1960... heavy snowfall totaled 6.1 inches at Stapleton
Airport.
In 1965... 5.4 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International
Airport behind a cold front. North-northeast winds gusted
to 32 mph. Winds were strong and gusty all day and caused
considerable blowing snow... contributing to hazardous
driving conditions mainly to the east of Denver.
In 1984... a snow and wind storm howled across eastern Colorado
closing I-70 east of Denver. This was the second blizzard
in less than 4 days. Only 0.5 inch of new snow fell at
Stapleton International Airport... but north winds gusted
to 51 mph.
15 in 1881... the temperature plunged to a low of 20 degrees
below zero in the city. In outer areas of the city... the
temperature dipped to 26.5 degrees below zero.
In 1910... west winds were sustained to 42 mph.
In 1986... high winds battered the Front Range foothills.
A wind gust to 95 mph was recorded in Boulder... but winds of
60 to 80 mph were common in and near the foothills. In
Aurora... an automobile dealership lost a large plate glass
window. Southwest wind gusts to 44 mph were recorded at
Stapleton International Airport. The strong winds warmed
temperatures. A record maximum temperature of 66 degrees
and a record high minimum temperature of 37 degrees were
recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1988... winds to 75 mph were clocked in Boulder... while a
west wind gust to only 41 mph was recorded at Stapleton
International Airport.
In 1997... winds gusted to 75 mph at Golden Gate Canyon during
the early morning hours. West winds gusted to 31 mph at
Denver International Airport.
In 2000... high winds spread from the foothills onto the plains.
While the strongest winds were north and northeast of Metro
Denver... west winds gusted to 58 mph in Thornton and to
54 mph at Denver International Airport.
In 2005... light precipitation of only 0.02 inch at Denver
International Airport and 0.5 inch was the only measurable
snowfall of the month. This ranked the month as the 2nd
driest February of record.
15-16 in 1889... heavy snowfall totaled 6.7 inches in downtown
Denver. Most of the snow... 5.5 inches... fell on the 15th
when northeast winds were sustained to 18 mph.
In 1921... strong bora winds cooled maximum temperatures from
the 60's on the previous 3 days to 54 degrees on the 15th
and to 43 degrees on the 16th. West winds were sustained
to 39 mph with gusts to 54 mph on the 15th and to 46 mph
with gusts to 56 mph on the 16th.
In 1953... strong... cold northwest winds were widespread from
the foothills across the plains. Near gale force winds
were observed in Boulder. A wind gust to 54 mph was
recorded at Stapleton Airport where blowing dust briefly
reduced the visibility to 1 1/2 miles. Damage was minor.
In 1993... an Arctic cold front pushed south over the eastern
Colorado plains with upslope snow developing behind the
front. Snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches were common over
Metro Denver. At Stapleton International Airport... snowfall
totaled 4.5 inches and north winds gusted to 25 mph.
Temperatures hovered only in the single digits for most of
the day. The storm produced up to a foot of snow over
southeast Colorado.
In 2006... overnight snowfall in the mountains and eastern
foothills contained a lot of red dust and dirt apparently
from Arizona. Strong southwest winds with gusts to 100 mph
in the San Juan Mountains on the 15th created widespread
blowing dust. This red dust became entrained in snowfall
across the area. The reddish colored snow was reported
in Ward... Nederland... Blackhawk... and Boulder. The storm
produced only 0.9 inch of snowfall in the Stapleton area
of Denver with 4 to 5 inches measured in the foothills.
15-17 in 1938... a cold air mass brought a light snowfall of 6.2
inches over 3 days to downtown Denver where northeast
winds were sustained to 18 mph on the 15th.
16 in 1879... a sudden burst of 3 inches of snow in less than
90 minutes stopped the street cars in downtown Denver
during the late afternoon. Melted snow resulted in 0.16
inch of precipitation. Small soft hail also fell when
the snow began. A gentleman caught on the prairie between
Denver and Morrison described the event as the most severe
storm of the winter while it lasted.
In 1885... a windstorm caused severe damage in the city. The
strong winds blew all afternoon and most of the evening.
West winds were sustained to 62 mph. The strong winds
blew down signs and broke windows. Buggies and vehicles
of all kinds were blown over. Smokestacks and chimneys
were toppled. Roofs were blown off. The Denver and Rio
Grande Railroad car shop was partially unroofed and had
a wall blown down. Three Railroad cars were blown off
the track. Many fences were damaged.
In 1897... west winds were sustained to 46 mph with gusts to
56 mph.
In 1912... northwest winds were sustained to 44 mph with a
measured extreme velocity to 45 mph.
In 1921... west winds were sustained to 46 mph.
In 1972... wind gusts to 58 mph were recorded at the National
Bureau of standards in Boulder. In downtown Boulder... a
wind gust to 51 mph was measured. Northwest winds gusted
to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1988... snowfall totaled 3 to 6 inches across Metro Denver...
but 9 inches were measured in both Wheat Ridge and
Evergreen. At Stapleton International Airport... 3.4 inches
of snow fell and northeast winds gusted to 26 mph. The
strong winds blew a scaffold against a hotel in downtown
Denver... breaking three windows.
In 1995... high winds occurred in the foothills behind a
departing winter storm. A wind gust to 91 mph was recorded
at Rollinsville with a gust to 82 mph atop Squaw Mountain
west of Denver. West winds gusted to only 20 mph at
Stapleton International Airport.
16-17 in 1929... strong west winds gusting to 84 mph raked Boulder
and Lafayette. Limited minor damage and a few injuries
occurred.
In 1986... strong Chinook winds continued to howl in the
foothills. A wind gust to 89 mph was recorded at Table
Mesa in Boulder on the 16th. Winds of 60 to 75 mph were
clocked at other locations in Boulder on both days.
A west wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton
International Airport on the 16th.
16-18 in 1970... a wind gust to 90 mph was recorded in Boulder at the
National center for atmospheric research. In downtown
Boulder... sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 53
mph were measured. Damage was minor. West winds gusted
to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 17th.
The strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to 70
degrees on the 16th and to 72 degrees on the 17th... both
records for the date. The low temperature dipped to
only 32 degrees on the 16th equaling the record high
minimum for the date.
17 in 1887... west winds were sustained to 64 mph. Strong winds
occurred all day long in the city. Rainfall was 0.02 inch.
In 1894... northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts
to 46 mph.
In 1937... northwest winds sustained to 36 mph with gusts to
44 mph started a few minor fires and broke a number of
plate-glass windows in downtown Denver office buildings.
In 1962... heavy snowfall totaled 7.5 inches at Stapleton
Airport where the visibility was reduced to as low as
1/4 mile at times. Winds gusted from the northeast at
only 15 mph.
In 2009... strong prefrontal wind gusts knocked down some trees
and power lines in Boulder. More than 3400 xcel customers
in the univerity hill area were without power for about one
hour. Peak wind gusts included 68 mph at the ncar Mesa lab
and 60 mph in Boulder.
17-18 in 1976... a strong cold front produced wind gusts 30 to 60 mph
with much blowing snow and severe dust storms. In the
Boulder area... high winds collapsed a garage and broke some
windows. Northwest winds gusted to 43 mph on the 17th and
to 44 mph on the 18th at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1984... the third blizzard in a week struck eastern
Colorado. Heavy snow hit some parts of Metro Denver
with 8 to 10 inches measured in Aurora... but only 2.9 inches
of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where
northwest winds gusted to 31 mph.
In 1999... damaging downslope bora winds developed in the
foothills behind a strong cold front. Peak wind reports
included: 90 mph at the gamow tower on the University of
Colorado Campus in boulder; 79 mph at the National center
for atmospheric research Mesa lab near Boulder and at the
National wind technology center south of boulder; and 72
mph atop Blue Mountain and at Jefferson County Airport.
Downed power lines caused major outages for at least 10
thousand residents in Evergreen... Idaho Springs... Golden...
and Lakewood. In Golden... the wind toppled a lightning
static protection line atop a 70-foot... 230 thousand-volt
distribution tower. The downed line... sparked a small
grass fire just east of the Lookout Mountain youth services
center. The fire burned a path approximately 100 yards
wide and 1/3 mile long before it was contained.
In 2000... snow... heavy in the mountains and foothills... spread
over Metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 24 inches at the Eldora
ski resort with 8 inches measured near Blackhawk. Snowfall
was only 1.8 inches at the site of the former Stapleton
International Airport... which was the only measurable snow
of the month.
17-19 in 2006... a cold spell resulted in 4 temperature records.
Low temperatures of 10 degrees below zero on the 17th...
13 degrees below zero on the 18th... and 4 degrees below
zero on the 19th were record minimums for those dates.
The high temperature of only 7 degrees on the 18th was
a record low maximum for the date. Light snow fell on
the 17th... but totaled less than half an inch at Denver
International Airport.
18 in 1918... Post-frontal northwest winds were sustained to 40
mph with a measured extreme velocity to 44 mph.
In 1937... a moderate duststorm occurred during the late
afternoon and early evening. Northeast winds sustained
to 32 mph with gusts to 41 mph reduced the visibility to
1/2 mile which persisted for about 40 minutes in the city.
In 1998... rare thunder from instability rain and snow showers
was heard in Littleton during the late afternoon. Thunder
in February only occurs about once every 10 years over Metro
Denver.
18-19 in 1954... a vigorous cold front produced north winds gusting
to 56 mph and a trace of snowfall at Stapleton Airport on
the 18th. Strong and gusty winds to 55 mph persisted
through the next day and caused some blowing dust.
In 1955... a storm dumped heavy snow across Metro Denver. At
Stapleton Airport where north winds sustained to 28 mph
produced some blowing snow... snowfall totaled 8.8 inches.
18-20 in 1913... Post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.9 inches in downtown
Denver over the 3 days. Most of the snow fell on the 19th.
Northeast winds were sustained to 21 mph with a measured
extreme velocity to 24 mph on the 18th.
In 1924... light snowfall totaled 4.6 inches over the 3 days.
This was the only measurable snowfall of the month. High
temperatures plunged from 45 degrees on the 18th to 17
degrees on the 20th. Low temperatures dipped from 31
degrees on the 18th to only 8 degrees on the 20th.
Northeast winds were sustained to 24 mph on the 19th.
In 1953... a major blizzard dumped 10.6 inches of snowfall at
Stapleton Airport. Strong north winds at sustained speeds
of 25 to 35 mph with gusts as high as 44 mph frequently
reduced visibilities to
There are no active warnings for this location at this time.
