Commerce City, CO

... Today in Metro Denver weather history...

31-12 in 1899... a protracted cold spell lasted almost two weeks.
        Low temperatures plunged below zero on all days but
        February 9th with a reading of 6 degrees. The coldest
        low temperature of 22 degrees below zero on February 6th
        was a record low for the date. Low temperatures of 20
        degrees below zero occurred on both February 11th and 12th...
        but only the 11th remains as the record minimum for the
        date. High temperature of only 5 degrees below zero on
        February 11th was a record low maximum for the date. High
        temperatures climbed to only zero degrees on both February
        2nd and 3rd... but were not records. Intermittent light snow
        or flurries fell during the period. The most snowfall... 2.0
        inches... occurred on February 2nd.
5-11 in 1978... the 5th marked the start of a record 7 consecutive
        days of dense fog at Stapleton International Airport. The
        heavy fog reduced the visibility to 1/4 mile or less for a
        period of time on each of these days. Light snow and/or
        freezing drizzle occurred on most days. Fog reducing
        visibility to less than 7 miles was recorded at Stapleton
        International Airport on 11 consecutive days through the
        15th. During the period 5-14... the cold thick fog deposited
        heavy rime ice up to 5 inches thick on power lines and poles
        over a wide area of eastern Colorado... causing a major
        electrical power outage disaster.
6-10 in 1933... 3:00 PM on the 6th marked the start of a protracted
        cold period through 8:00 am on the 10th when the temperature
        was below zero for 86 out of 88 hours. The cold period was
        interrupted on the 8th at 9:00 am when the temperature was
        1 degree above zero and at 10:00 am when the temperature was
        8 degrees above zero. Four temperature records were set.
        High temperatures of 4 degrees below zero on the 7th... 8
        degrees on the 8th... and 5 degrees below zero on the 9th were
        record low maximums for those dates. The only record low
        temperature record was 14 degrees below zero on the 10th.
        The lowest temperature reached during the period was 16
        degrees below zero on both the 7th and 8th... which were not
        records.
9-10 in 1934... rain changed to heavy snow on the afternoon of
        the 9th and continued through the day on the 10th.
        Snowfall totaled 7.4 inches in downtown Denver.
        North winds were sustained to 24 mph on the 10th.
      In 1972... heavy Post-frontal snowfall totaled 6.2 inches at
        Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds
        gusted to 46 mph on the 9th. Temperatures plunged from
        a high of 51 degrees on the 9th to a low of 16 on the
        morning of the 10th.
      In 1981... the season's coldest Arctic air mass rolled into
        Metro Denver plunging temperatures from 10 below to 20
        degrees below zero. Bitter north winds gusting as high
        as 36 mph sent wind chill temperatures to 50 below zero.
        Two to four inches of snow fell over Metro Denver with
        6 to 12 inches in the foothills. A Boulder man died
        of hypothermia while cross country skiing in the
        mountains west of the city. Snowfall totaled only
        1.5 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the
        minimum temperature on the morning of the 10th was 5
        degrees below zero. The temperature that day warmed to
        to a high of only 9 degrees.
      In 2003... high winds occurred in and near the eastern
        foothills. The highest wind gusts recorded: included
        80 mph atop Fritz Peak and 73 mph atop Blue Mountain and
        at the National wind technology center on Rocky Flats
        south of Boulder. At least 4 multi-car accidents
        occurred along State Highway 93... between Golden and
        Boulder when blowing snow caused whiteout conditions.
        Northwest winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International
        Airport on the 10th.
9-11 in 1965... heavy snowfall totaled 6.2 inches at Stapleton
        International Airport where northeast winds gusted to
        25 mph.
      In 1993... the same storm that dumped heavy snow in the
        mountains combined with an Arctic cold front to produce
        heavy snow across Metro Denver. Upslope snows of 4 to 8
        inches were common with some areas receiving nearly a foot.
        Ten inches of new snow were measured in Parker and 7 inches
        in southeast Denver. At Stapleton International Airport...
        snowfall totaled 8.1 inches. Strong winds combined with the
        snowfall to produce near-blizzard conditions over the
        plains closing many roads east of Denver. North winds
        gusted to only 18 mph at Stapleton International Airport on
        the 9th.
10 in 1890... north winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts as
        high as 60 mph behind an apparent cold front. Light snow
        also fell.
      In 1932... a large cumulo-nimbus thunderhead was observed in the
        eastern sky at 4:00 PM. Thunderstorms are relatively rare
        in February.
      In 1990... northwest winds gusted to 52 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport. The strong Chinook winds warmed the
        temperature to a high of 56 degrees.
      In 1999... a vigorous cold front moved a wall of blowing dust
        across the plains of northeastern Colorado during the
        afternoon and early evening hours. While the strongest
        winds and wind damage were north and east of Metro Denver...
        north to northeast winds did gust to 48 mph at Denver
        International Airport... reducing the visibility to as
        low as 3/4 mile in blowing dust. The temperature
        dropped as much as 15 degrees in 5 minutes and 21 degrees
        in 30 minutes following the passage of the cold front.
        Dangerous wind shear conditions at dia delayed several
        flights... while others were redirected to Colorado Springs.
        In the Montbello area of northeast Denver... the strong winds
        blew the roof off a building. Downed power lines sparked
        a small brush fire... which burned about 10 acres near the
        former fitzsimmons Army medical center.
10-11 in 1971... a wind gust to 80 mph was recorded in Boulder at the
        National center for atmospheric research. A wind gust to
        69 mph was measured at the National Bureau of standards.
        In downtown Boulder wind gusts to 43 mph were clocked.
        No damage was reported. North to northwest winds gusted
        to 39 mph on the 10th and to 41 mph on the 11th at
        Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1999... heavy snow developed over sections of Metro Denver
        during the evening hours. Snowfall totals included: 6
        inches at eaglecrest... 6.5 inches at Highlands Ranch... and
        8.5 inches about 5 miles south of Sedalia. Only 1.0 inch
        of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport. Strong winds and snow caused near
        blizzard conditions north of Metro Denver.
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.