Colorado, 1996

High 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.

Where it happened

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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The toll

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.

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).

The radar

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

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Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

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)

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, December 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577848, 5577849.