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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MST WED DEC 4 2024

...Today in metro Denver weather history...

1-5   In 1913...the 1st marked the start of the heaviest 5-day
        total snowfall in the city`s history.  During this period
        snowfall totaled 45.7 inches.  Starting on the 1st...snow
        fell intermittently for 3 days and accumulated a little
        over 8 inches.  On the 4th and 5th...an additional 37.4
        inches of snow fell.  At Georgetown in the foothills west
        of Denver even more snow fell...86 inches over the 5 days
        with the most...63 inches...on the 4th.  In Colorado...snowfall
        was heavy along the eastern slopes of the mountains from the
        Palmer Divide north.  High winds during the storm caused
        heavy drifting...which blocked all transportation.  Snow
        cover of an inch or more from the storm persisted for
        60 consecutive days from the 1st through January 29...1914.
        Additional snowfall in December and January prolonged the
        number of days.  This is the third longest period of snow
        cover on record in the city.
2-4   In 1909...post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.1 inches in
        downtown Denver.  Most of the snow...5.9 inches...fell
        between 6:00 PM on the 2nd and 6:00 PM on the 3rd.
        North winds were sustained to 18 mph on both the 2nd
        and 3rd.
2-17  In 1939...more than 2 weeks of unseasonably warm weather
        made the month the 3rd warmest on record.  Seven daily
        temperature records were set...including the all time
        record high temperature for the month of 79 degrees on
        the 5th.  Daytime highs were balmy with 14 days in the
        60`s and 70`s.  Low temperatures dipped to freezing or
        below on only 5 days.  The period was dry with only a
        trace of snow on the 12th.
3-4   In 1968...strong chinook winds in Boulder gusting to 52 mph
        downtown caused 7 thousand dollars in damage.  Flying
        debris damaged cars...houses...and other property in Boulder.
        West winds gusted to 49 mph late on the 3rd and to 45 mph
        on the 4th at Stapleton International Airport where the
        temperature climbed to a high of 60 degrees on the 4th.
      In 1970...strong winds whistled through Boulder.  Sustained
        winds of 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph were recorded at the
        National Bureau of Standards in Boulder.  Wind gusts to 50
        mph occurred in downtown Denver.  No damage was reported.
        On the 3rd...northwest winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport where the chinook winds warmed the
        temperature to a high of 66 degrees on the 4th.
      In 1999...heavy snow fell over the foothills and metro Denver.
        The heaviest snowfall occurred in the foothills south of
        I-70 and near the Palmer Divide.  Snowfall totals included:
        25 inches near Tiny Town; 18 inches at Conifer; 15 inches
        near Evergreen; 14 inches at Chief Hosa...8 miles west of
        Castle Rock...and near Blackhawk; 12 inches at Pine Junction
        and 8 miles south of Sedalia; 11 inches atop Floyd Hill and
        in Roxborough; and 10 inches at Castle Rock.  Around metro
        Denver...snowfall totals included:  10 inches at Highlands
        Ranch...9 inches at Parker...and 8 inches in Aurora and
        Wheat Ridge.  Elsewhere around the metro area...snowfall
        generally ranged from 3 to 5 inches.  Only 3.2 inches of
        snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International
        Airport.  North winds gusted to 32 mph at Denver
        International Airport on the 3rd.
      In 2007...high winds developed in and near the Front Range
        Foothills.  Peak wind reports included:  88 mph atop Niwot
        Ridge; 87 mph atop Mines Peak; 80 mph...3 miles southeast of
        Jamestown; 78 mph at Longmont; 74 mph at Table Mesa.  A
        few power outages occurred in Longmont as broken branches
        downed power lines.  Northwest winds gusted to 38 mph at
        Denver International Airport on the 4th.
      In 2013...a storm system brought heavy snow to parts of the
        Front Range Foothills.  Storm totals included:  12 inches...
        7 miles west-southwest of Evergreen; 10.5 inches...3 miles
        north of Bailey; 9.5 inches...3 miles west of Jamestown and
        5 miles northeast of Ward; 9 inches in Bailey...8.5 inches...
        3 miles north of Conifer.
3-15  In 1972...a protracted cold spell held an icy grip on metro
        Denver when maximum temperatures never reached above
        freezing for 10 consecutive days from the 3rd through
        the 12th and minimum temperatures dipped below zero on
        eleven consecutive days from the 5th through the 15th.
        Daily low temperature records were set with 15 degrees
        below zero on the 5th...17 degrees below zero on the 6th...
        and 18 degrees below zero on the 10th.  Daily record low
        maximum readings were set with 3 degrees on the 6th and
        6 degrees on the 9th.  The very cold temperatures were
        caused by 3 to 5 inches of snow cover and a Canadian air
        mass.
4     In 1884...a windstorm during the afternoon produced
        sustained northwest winds to 34 mph with higher gusts.
        The strong wind blew one of the wooden slats from the
        weather instrument shelter...which broke the wet-bulb
        thermometer.
      In 1885...north winds were sustained to 40 mph during
        the early morning hours.  The strong winds were
        accompanied by a cold wave.
      In 1893...northwest winds were sustained to 48 mph with
        gusts as high as 55 mph.  The chinook winds warmed the
        temperature to a high of 58 degrees.
      In 1901...chinook winds sustained from the northwest at 40
        mph with gusts to 48 mph warmed the temperature to a
        high of 55 degrees in the city.
      In 1906...rainfall of only 0.01 inch before daybreak was
        the only measurable precipitation of the month...ranking
        the month the third driest December on record.
      In 1910...cold west winds were strong all day with a
        sustained speed to 44 mph.
      In 1977...northwest winds gusted to 55 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport where the strong chinook winds
        warmed the temperature to a high of 55 degrees.
      In 1978...high winds from 50 to near 150 mph occurred in
        the Boulder area.  A pick-up truck was overturned...and
        a camper top was blown off another truck.  Some roof
        damage was reported.  Northwest winds gusted to 48 mph
        at Stapleton International Airport...where the chinook
        winds warmed the temperature to a high of 57 degrees.
      In 1980...wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph occurred along the
        foothills.  Southwest winds gusted to 31 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport.  The chinook winds warmed the
        temperature to a record high of 69 degrees for the day.
      In 1991...a volcanic ash cloud high in the atmosphere was
        clearly visible during the late afternoon being
        illuminated by the setting sun.
      In 1995...very strong downslope winds gusting to 100 mph
        in the foothills knocked down trees and power lines...
        triggering 800 power outages.  Downed power lines sparked
        a half dozen brush fires ranging up to 4 acres in size.
        In Boulder...a  portion of an old drive-in movie screen
        was blown down...and several car windows were shattered.
        The strongest wind gusts recorded were 100 mph at
        Golden Gate Canyon...99 mph at Rocky Flats Environmental
        Technology Site...96 mph in north Boulder...94 mph at
        Wondervu...81 mph at Conifer...and 77 mph in south Boulder.
        West-northwest winds gusted to only 29 mph at Denver
        International Airport.
4-5   In 1912...5.2 inches of post-frontal snow fell in downtown
        Denver.  Most of the snow fell on the 4th when northeast
        winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 46 mph.
      In 1913...a major winter storm produced heavy snowfall and
        blizzard conditions in the city.  The snow fell continuously
        for 40 consecutive hours from 4:30 AM on the 4th until just
        before midnight on the 5th and totaled 37.6 inches.  The
        greatest accumulation on the ground was 32.6 inches at 6:00
        PM on the 5th.  Strong north winds accompanied the storm
        with sustained speeds of 30 mph or more for more than 25
        hours.  The highest sustained wind velocity was 44 mph
        during the afternoon of the 5th.  Winds gusted to 46 mph
        on the 4th and to 47 mph on the 5th.  The winds piled the
        snow into 4-and 5-foot drifts.  By noon on the 4th traffic
        was interrupted...and by evening the heavy wet snow had
        blocked most streets and highways.  Street cars stalled
        when streets became blocked.  Automobiles and other
        conveyances were abandoned in the streets.  By the 5th...
        the blockage extended to steam railroads.  Flat roofed
        buildings collapsed...including the roof of the Calvary
        Baptist Church.  Many downtown workers were unable to make
        it home on the night of the 4th and filled downtown hotels
        to overflowing.  Some enjoyed the festive mood of the
        occasion and partied through the night.  The City
        Auditorium...jail...and several movie houses served as
        shelters for hundreds of people.  The snow was remarkably
        moist for this time of year with a total water content of
        3.44 inches.  Temperatures during the storm were between
        25 and 34 degrees.  Cold weather followed the storm and
        snow remained on the ground for a long time.  On some street
        car lines...it took 6 to 7 days before the right of way could
        be cleared.  The foothills measured even more snow from the
        storm.  At Georgetown...the 2 day snowfall totaled 71 inches.
        The 2.12 inches of precipitation measured on the 4th is the
        greatest calendar day precipitation ever recorded during the
        month of December in Denver.  The 2.29 inches of
        precipitation measured from the 4th into the 5th is the
        greatest 24 hour precipitation ever recorded in the city
        during December.
      In 1972...only 4.5 inches of snow fell at Stapleton
        International Airport...but high winds on the evening of
        the 4th caused blizzard conditions over the plains east of
        Denver.  A 21-year-old University of Colorado student
        caught in the storm while cross country skiing west of
        Boulder froze to death.  North winds gusted to 32 mph
        at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1979...the Front Range was hit by strong chinook winds.
        The Boulder area was hardest hit with winds gusting to
        119 mph at Rocky Flats and 92 mph in the city.  A wind
        gust to 104 mph was recorded at Wondervu.  Damage was
        widespread...amounting to 1.2 million dollars mainly around
        Boulder.  Roofs were blown off several buildings and homes...
        hundreds of windows were broken...and many cars were damaged
        by flying debris.  Small planes were severely damaged at
        3 airports in the area.  West winds gusted to 55 mph at
        Stapleton International Airport on the 5th.
      In 1996...persistent westerly flow aloft produced more high
        winds in and near the Front Range foothills.  Several
        locations reported hurricane force winds with peak gusts
        of 100 to 120 mph.  The high winds downed trees and power
        lines...leaving 700 residents without power for nearly 4
        hours in the communities of Beaver Brook...Blue Valley...
        Conifer...Evergreen...and Floyd Hill.  A wall of a building
        under construction in Lafayette was toppled...a semi-truck
        was blown over near the Boulder turnpike damaging a
        concrete barrier...and a 60-foot tree crushed a parked
        pick-up truck at a Denver residence.  High wind gusts
        included:  an estimated 120 mph at Blackhawk...115 mph at
        Aspen Springs...100 mph at the Eldora Ski Resort...75 mph
        atop Shanahan Ridge near Boulder...74 mph near Conifer...and
        71 mph at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility.
        At Denver International Airport...west winds gusted to 51
        mph on the 4th and to only 38 mph on the 5th.
4-6   In 1960...heavy snowfall totaled 12.0 inches over the 3 days
        with 5.1 inches on the 4th...5.2 inches on the 5th...and
        1.7 inches on the 6th.  Rain changed to snow early on the
        4th and ended by early afternoon.  Snow started again early
        on the 5th and continued through midday on the 6th.  West
        northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 4th.  Post cold
        frontal temperatures cooled from a high of 38 degrees on
        the 4th to a low of 7 degrees below zero on the 6th.

$$