Colorado, 1996

High Wind in Colorado, January 27 to 28, 1996

January 27 to 28, 1996 · NWS BOU · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Hurricane Force winds blew across portions of the Front Range Foothills in the wake of a pacific storm system that moved across Northern Colorado. Estes Park registered a peak wind gust to 121 mph (105 kts).

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
4

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.

Hurricane Force winds blew across portions of the Front Range Foothills in the wake of a pacific storm system that moved across Northern Colorado. Estes Park registered a peak wind gust to 121 mph (105 kts). Some other reports included: 75 kts at the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR) southwest of Boulder, 75 kts atop Squaw Mountain near Idaho Springs and 65 kts at Jefferson County Airport.

The radar

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

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Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

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

When
January 27, 9:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet forecast zone
Measured
105 kt (121 mph)
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
January 27, 9:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Measured
75 kt (86 mph)
Coordinates
39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 27, 9:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Boulder & Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet / W Broomfield County forecast zone
Measured
75 kt (86 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
January 27, 9:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:30 PM MST
Where
N Douglas County Below 6000 Feet / Denver / W Adams & Arapahoe Counties / E Broomfield County forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
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, January 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: 5538077, 5538078, 5538079, 5538080.