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NOUS45 KBOU 020959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-022300-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MST SUN JAN 2 2022
 
...Today in metro Denver weather history...

31-6  In 1973...the 31st marked the start of a protracted cold spell
        that extended into January of 1974 when temperatures
        dipped below zero on 7 consecutive days.  Record daily
        minimum readings occurred on the 3rd and 5th when the
        temperature plunged to 17 degrees below zero on both days.
        A record low daily maximum temperature of only 4 degrees
        occurred on the 5th.
31-7  In 1941...a protracted cold spell through January 7...1942...
        produced below zero low temperatures on 7 of the 8 days.
        A low temperature of 2 degrees on the 3rd prevented a
        string of 8 days below zero.  The coldest days during the
        period were the 1st with a high of 2 degrees and
        a low of 9 degrees below zero...the 4th with a high of 2
        degrees and a low of 11 degrees below zero...and the 5th
        with a high of 26 degrees and a low of 12 degrees below
        zero.
1-2   In 1896...warm chinook winds on the 1st became cold bora winds
        on the 2nd.  Southwest winds sustained to 60 mph with gusts
        as high as 66 mph warmed the temperature to a high of 55
        degrees on the 1st.  Northwest winds sustained to 54 mph
        with gusts to 60 mph resulted in snowfall of 0.3 inch and
        a high temperature of only 31 degrees on the 2nd.
1-5   In 1940...the first days of the month were characterized by a
        mixture of drizzle...light snow...and fog.  Fog occurred on
        each day.  On the 4th and 5th considerable glazing resulted
        from freezing drizzle.  All objects were coated with a
        glaze on the windward side.  This resulted in very slippery
        streets...which caused several minor traffic accidents.  The
        glaze was not heavy enough to damage wires and cables.
2     In 1972...strong northwest chinook winds in advance of a cold
        front gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport and
        caused temperatures to warm to a high of 55 degrees.
      In 1986...high winds occurred along the Front Range foothills.
        The strongest recorded gust was 82 mph in the Table Mesa
        area of Boulder.  Other places in Boulder reported gusts
        from 68 to 80 mph.  West winds gusted to 43 mph at
        Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1989...high winds between 60 and 70 mph were recorded in
        Boulder and along the eastern foothills.  No damage was
        reported.  West winds gusted to 49 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport.
2-3   In 1971...a major storm dumped a total of 8.4 inches of snow
        at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted
        to 23 mph.
      In 1972...a strong cold front late on the 2nd produced north
        wind gusts to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
        Snow...heavy at times on the 3rd...totaled 6.4 inches as
        temperatures hovered only in the single digits.
      In 2000...heavy snow fell over the higher terrain of the Palmer
        Divide to the south of metro Denver.  Snowfall totaled 7
        inches 5 miles southwest of Sedalia.  Only 1.5 inches of
        snowfall were measured at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport.
2-4   In 1949...the worst blizzard in many years struck metro
        Denver and all of northern Colorado.  The storm produced
        blizzard conditions with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph all
        day on the 3rd when temperatures were only in the single
        digits.  This resulted in extremely cold wind chill
        temperatures of 40 to 55 degrees below zero.  Stapleton
        Airport received 13.3 inches of snow from the storm...
        while downtown Denver received 11.8 inches.  The snow
        fell for 51 consecutive hours downtown.  Numerous lives
        were lost...and livestock losses were high across the
        northeastern plains of Colorado where extensive airlift
        operations were needed to bring supplies and food to
        isolated communities.
2-5   In 1959...very cold temperatures...to near zero and
        below...caused power and gas lines...water pipes...and
        automatic sprinkler systems to break.  In Boulder...
        merchandise and furnishings were water damaged when pipes
        burst in a department store...flooding three floors.  The
        temperature was below zero for 38 consecutive hours at
        Stapleton Airport on the 2nd...3rd...and 4th and plunged to
        a low of 13 degrees below zero on the 4th.

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