Colorado, 1996

High Wind in Colorado, April 19, 1996

April 19, 1996 · NWS BOU · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

High winds gusting from 70 to near 100 mph (60 to 85 kts) developed along the Front Range Foothills as well as portions of the Northeast Plains. Numerous outages were reported along the Front Range as power lines and poles were downed.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.

High winds gusting from 70 to near 100 mph (60 to 85 kts) developed along the Front Range Foothills as well as portions of the Northeast Plains. Numerous outages were reported along the Front Range as power lines and poles were downed. In addition, a few trees ranging in height from 70 to 100 feet were also downed in the Greeley and Fort Collins areas. A house was damaged when one of the trees landed on the roof. High winds also blew the chimney off the roof of a house in Westminster, northwest of Denver. No one was injured in either incident. Elsewhere, numerous homes received minor shingle damage.Some of the stronger gusts included: 85 kts at Jeffco Airport, 79kts atop Squaw Mtn in the foothills west of Denver, an estimated 75kts at Buckhorn Mountain, 72 kts at Nunn, 71 kts at Fort Collins,and 65 kts atop Table Mesa near Boulder and at Virginia Dale.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet forecast zone
Coordinates
40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County forecast zone
Measured
71 kt (82 mph)
Coordinates
40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
39.878, -105.220 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County forecast zone
Measured
85 kt (98 mph)
Coordinates
39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ne Weld County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Ne Weld County forecast zone
Measured
72 kt (83 mph)
Coordinates
40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.138, -103.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sedgwick County

When
April 19, 5:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Sedgwick County forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
40.876, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5549442, 5549443, 5549444, 5549445, 5549446, 5549447, 5549448, 5549449.