January 15 - Today in Denver weather history

January 15, 4:55 AMDenver Weather ExaminerTony Hake

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January 15 - Today in Denver weather history.

A very eventful day in Denver weather history!  In addition to the usual cases of snow and wind, we have Boulder's worst wind storm in history 41 years ago.  More recently, it was seven years ago that a major snowstorm struck Denver.  46 years ago a protracted cold spell caused a number of deaths from exposure, overexertion, and traffic accidents.

From the National Weather Service Denver / Boulder Office:

From the 13th to the 16th: 

In 1888...a cold air mass settled over the city and caused temperatures to plunge well below zero on four consecutive days...but only one temperature record was set.  Minimum temperatures dipped to 4 degrees below zero on the 13th... 19 degrees below zero on the 14th...20 degrees below zero on the 15th...and 11 degrees below zero on the 16th.  The maximum temperature of only 4 degrees below zero on the 14th was a record low maximum for the date.  North winds were sustained to 30 mph on the 13th.

From the 14th to the 15th:

In 1908...heavy post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.5 inches overnight.  North winds were sustained to 32 mph.  The temperature dropped 41 degrees in 24 hours from a reading of 48 degrees at 8:00 pm on the 14th to only 7 degrees at 8:00 pm on the 15th.

In 1950...strong winds occurred in Boulder and Louisville. Winds in excess of 60 mph were recorded at Valmont.  Minor damage was reported.  Southwest winds gusted to 50 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1959...a total of 5.5 inches of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.

In 1992...snow spread from the mountains across metro Denver. The heaviest snow was across the northern portion of the area where 7 inches fell at Thornton.  At Stapleton International Airport...only 3.4 inches of snowfall were recorded and northeast winds gusting to 37 mph caused some blowing snow on the 14th.

In 1999...high winds howled across metro Denver.  In Commerce City...strong winds toppled 3 utility poles resulting in a power outage to 600 homes.  High wind reports included: 108 mph at Wondervu...80 mph at the Hiwan Golf Course in Evergreen...76 mph at aspen springs...75 mph at the Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield...74 mph in Boulder...and 70 mph at Georgetown.  West to northwest winds gusted to 48 mph...the highest wind gust of the month...and warmed the temperature to a high of 60 degrees at Denver International Airport on the 15th.

From the 14th to the 21st: 

In 1930...a protracted cold spell occurred when low temperatures plunged below zero on 8 consecutive days.  The coldest low temperatures of 20 degrees below zero on the 17th and 19 degrees below zero on the 16th were record minimums for the dates.  High temperatures during the period ranged from 18 on the 18th to zero on the 20th.  Two degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum temperature for the date.

On the 15th: 

In 1875...the wind backed from the southwest to the northeast before noon.  The temperature fell 48 degrees in one hour... From a high of 52 degrees to only 4 degrees between 11:30 am and 12:30 pm...as cold arctic air surged back over the city.

In 1888...the low temperature dipped to 20 degrees below zero.

In 1906...southwest winds were sustained to 44 mph.

In 1921...south winds were sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph.  The winds warmed the temperature to a high of 63 degrees.  The low temperature of only 47 degrees was a record high minimum for the date.

In 1943...strong Chinook winds struck the Front Range foothills.  Wind gusts to 96 mph were recorded at Valmont in east Boulder...with 90 mph measured at Boulder airport. Some damage occurred.

In 1976...strong Chinook winds with peak gusts of 70 to 80 mph were recorded along the foothills.  Northwest winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1982...a vigorous cold front plunged temperatures 22 degrees in an hour from 39 to 17 degrees.  Strong northeast winds at 30 mph with gusts to 46 mph...along with some snow flurries...reduced the visibility to 1 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1987...heavy snow hit metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 10.3 inches at Stapleton International Airport...but amounts across the area ranged from 3 inches in southeast aurora to 18 inches in the western and southwestern suburbs.  Only an inch of snow was measured at Castle Rock.  A half foot to a foot of snow fell in the foothills west of Denver and Boulder.  Some schools were closed due to the storm. Temperatures hovered in the teens most of the day at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 30 mph.

In 1988...high winds were clocked in Boulder with a gust to 70 mph recorded at Table Mesa.

In 1998...strong winds developed in and near the Front Range foothills.  Winds gusted to 71 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield.  South-southwest winds gusted to only 25 mph at Denver International Airport.

From the 15th to the 16th:

In 1967...a major windstorm struck Boulder.  The storm was described at the time as the worst single windstorm in the history of Boulder in terms of damage.  Winds reached 125 mph at the national center for atmospheric research and at Boulder airport.  Winds gusted to 84 mph downtown.  Damage totaled a half million dollars in Boulder where some minor injuries were reported.  At the Boulder municipal airport... 14 light airplanes were severely damaged.  The second floor of a warehouse was blown down...damaging two nearby moving vans.  A mobile home was blown over south of Boulder...injuring one woman.  The roof of a department store was blown in.  There was widespread damage to houses...autos... And power lines from wind and flying debris.  Strong winds also occurred in Denver and golden...but damage was only minor.  At Stapleton International Airport...west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 15th and to 45 mph on the 16th.

In 1981...heavy snow of 6 to 10 inches accumulated across metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled only 1.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where east winds gusted to 21 mph on the 15th.

In 1991...a pacific storm system moved across metro Denver. Snowfall totaled 3 to 7 inches with 3 inches in aurora... Denver...and Castle Rock...4 inches in Arvada...and 7 inches at South Platte station just southwest of Denver. Snowfall totaled only 2.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 21 mph on the 16th.

In 2001...heavy snow fell across the Front Range foothills and urban corridor.  The combination of careless driving and snowpacked highways resulted in 3 multi-vehicle accidents involving 30 vehicles...along I-25 in Douglas County.  Eleven people were injured and one was killed. Snow amounts included:  11 inches in Evergreen; 10 inches at Eldorado Springs and Genesee; 8 inches at Broomfield... Ken Caryl ranch...and Thornton; and 5 to 7 inches in Arvada...Bailey...Crow Hill...Gross Reservoir...Lakewood... Louisville...Westminster...and near Loveland.  Snowfall totaled 2.7 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

From the 15th to the 23rd: 

In 1962...a protracted cold spell kept metro Denver in the deep freeze for more than a week.  From the 15th thru the 23rd...low temperatures were zero or below for 9 consecutive days...but a daily record low was set only on the 22nd when the temperature dipped to 14 degrees below zero.  A record low maximum for the date was also set on the 22nd when the temperature climbed to only 11 degrees.  The coldest high temperature was 3 degrees above zero on the 21st...which did not break the record.  The protracted cold was broken for only a few hours on the afternoon of the 20th when Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 38 degrees before another surge of cold arctic air plunged temperatures back into the deep freeze that evening.  The severe cold caused much damage to water systems.  A woman was frozen to death at Morrison.  There were other deaths attributable to the weather...including traffic deaths and heart attacks from overexertion.