Colorado, 1998

High Wind in Colorado, January 15, 1998

January 15, 1998 · NWS BOU · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Strong winds developed in and near the Front Range Foothills. Peak wind gusts included 72 mph (62 kts) 9 miles west southwest of Rustic and 71 mph (61 kts) at Jefferson County Airport.

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
0
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.

Strong winds developed in and near the Front Range Foothills. Peak wind gusts included 72 mph (62 kts) 9 miles west southwest of Rustic and 71 mph (61 kts) at Jefferson County Airport.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins / C Boulder / Ne Gilpin / C Larimer

When
January 15, 12:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins / C Boulder / Ne Gilpin / C Larimer forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Coordinates
40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Denver Metropolitan Area / E Jefferson / W Adams / Denver / W Arapahoe / N Douglas

When
January 15, 12:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where
Denver Metropolitan Area / E Jefferson / W Adams / Denver / W Arapahoe / N Douglas forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 1998

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: 5628290, 5628291.