Colorado, 1996High Wind in Colorado, December 20, 1996
December 20, 1996 · NWS BOU · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
Five construction workers were injured, 2 seriously, when a sudden wind gust blew over a 30-ft high retaining wall they were working on in western Lakewood. The scaffolding they were standing on collapsed and some were pinned under the rubble for at least 15 minutes.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Five construction workers were injured, 2 seriously, when a sudden wind gust blew over a 30-ft high retaining wall they were working on in western Lakewood. The scaffolding they were standing on collapsed and some were pinned under the rubble for at least 15 minutes. The peak gusts reported during the afternoon ranged from 60 to 75 mph (65 kts).
High Wind, Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County
- When
- December 20, 2:00 PM MST to 7:00 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
- December 20, 2:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County forecast zone
- Injuries
- 5 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
- 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.
- Winter Storm in California, December 20 to 23, 19962 deaths · $75,000 · 1 event
- Heavy Snow in California, December 20 to 22, 19962 deaths · 2 injured · 4 events
- Winter Storm in Montana, December 20 to 30, 19961 death · 7 events
- Heavy Snow in Utah, December 20 to 24, 19963 injured · $50,000 · 5 events
- Winter Storm in Nevada, December 20 to 23, 1996$50,000 · 1 event
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 20 to 21, 19961 injured · 8 events
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, December 20 to 21, 19968 events
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 20 to 21, 19965 events
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, December 20, 19963 events
- Blizzard in Minnesota, December 20 to 21, 19963 events
- High Wind in Montana, December 20, 199670 kt wind · 1 event
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 20, 19961 event
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577848, 5577849.