Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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705 NOUS45 KBOU 080859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-082300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT SUN SEP 8 2024 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 1-30 In 2020...a worsening drought that started in the spring and continued through September. Outside of an early season snow on the 8th...the month of September was another unseasonably warm and dry period. The combination of hot...mostly dry conditions...and critically dry fuels... resulted in a continuation and rapid expansion of several massive wildfires. The Cameron Peak fire...which became the largest in the state`s history started on August 13th...and continued through September. As a result...very poor air quality continued to impact Denver and the entire Front Range. Denver recorded the most days ever with a high temperature of 90 degrees or better; 75 days. The last of which was 91 degrees on the 24th. The previous record was 73 days set in 2012. 5-8 In 2020...a strong upper level low brought an end to record heat to the Front Range urban corridor...and provided Denver its second earliest measurable snowfall on record. Numerous heat records were set leading up to the snowfall...and several new snowfall and cold records were also broken in this abrupt bout with winter. Denver set its all time record high for September...reaching 101 degrees during the afternoon. This was also the latest date a 100 degree reading has ever been observed in Denver. Another daily record high was then tied on September 6th when Denver hit 97 degrees. September 7th was the last day of heat when Denver`s high temperature reached 93 degrees. That tied Denver for the record for the number of 90 degree days for a year at 73...and was also the warmest temperature ever recorded before a day of measurable snowfall. By the evening of September 7th...a series of cold fronts progressed southward from Wyoming into Colorado... dropping the temperature into the low 30s by the early morning hours of September 8th. Snow developed across the Front Range mountains and foothills overnight... while a mix of rain and snow developed along the I-25 corridor. A few locations picked up light snowfall accumulations in the morning. Accumulating snow was mostly confined to the higher elevations much of the day...before spreading across the plains during the late afternoon and evening. Storm totals ranged from 4 to 10 inches in the mountains...with 3 to 6 inches near the foothills. A total of 5.6 inches of snow was measured at the NWS Boulder office...while at Denver International Airport...the official measurement was 1.0 inch. 5-9 In 1988...layers of smoke aloft from large forest fires in Yellowstone National Park completely obliterated the sun at times. At Stapleton International Airport...surface visibility was reduced at times to 5 and 6 miles in smoke. 5-13 In 2010...the Fourmile Canyon Wildfire...northwest of Boulder... broke out on the morning of the 5th. It originated from an unattended fire pit at a local residence. The wildfire quickly consumed 5 1/2 square miles or 3500 acres the first day...and forced the evacuation of over three thousand residents. Erratic 45-mph gusts sent the fire in two directions at times. Very dry weather conditions preceded the fire. The combination of strong winds...low relative humidities and dry fuels allowed the wildfire spread rapidly through the steep...heavily forested terrain. The flames were reportedly 20 to 50 feet in length. Towns within the burn area included Salina...Wallstreet and Gold Hill. The dry conditions coupled with gusty winds ranging from 45 to 64 mph persisted for several more days. Fire managers used as many as 700 firefighters and support personnel from 35 agencies and seven air tankers to battle the wildfire. A total of 6181 square acres or approximately 10 square miles were burned. The Fourmile Canyon Wildfire was the most destructive fire in Colorado history in terms of the damage to personal property. It destroyed 171 homes with an estimated cost of 217 million dollars. 7-8 In 1884...a windstorm from mid-afternoon until the early morning hours of the 8th produced south winds sustained to 48 mph. The strong winds toppled several trees in the city. In 1892...there was a trace of rainfall each day. This together with a trace of rain on both the 2nd and 3rd was the only rainfall of the month...making the month the driest on record. The record was equaled in 1944. 8 In 1886...the last thunderstorm of the season pelted the city with hail the size of beans and dropped 0.81 inch of precipitation. In 1962...the earliest first freeze of the season occurred. The temperature dipped to a low of 31 degrees. In 1973...hail up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter fell northeast of Boulder. A tornado was reported by a pilot east of Parker. No damage was reported. $$