Colorado, 1999

High Wind in Colorado, February 2 to 3, 1999

February 2 to 3, 1999 · NWS BOU · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A powerful chinook windstorm struck the Front Range Foothills and adjacent plains. Several locations registered peak wind gusts in excess of 100 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
$3.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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.

A powerful chinook windstorm struck the Front Range Foothills and adjacent plains. Several locations registered peak wind gusts in excess of 100 mph. Locations to meet or exceeded the century plateau included: 127 mph (110 kts) at Sugarloaf Mountain, 120 mph (104 kts) at Lafayette, 119 mph (103 kts) at Wondervu, 107 mph (93 kts) at Carter Lake, 106 mph (92 kts), 2 miles north of Estes Park, 104 mph (90 kts) at Coal Creek, 103 mph (90 kts) at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility with 100 mph (97 kts) recorded at Longmont and Louisville.Other peak wind reports included: 97 mph (84 kts) at Boulder, 93 mph (81 kts) at the NCAR Mesa Lab, 89 mph (77 kts) at Red Feather Lakes, 88 mph (77 kts) at Nederland, 86 mph (75 kts) at Aspen Springs, 84 mph (73 kts) atop Niwot Ridge, 83 mph (72 kts) at Blue Mountain, 78 mph (68 kts), 4 miles south of Livermore, 74 mph (64 kts), 1 mile east of Buckhorn Mountain, 64 mph (56 kts), 21 miles north of New Raymer, 61 mph (53 kts) at Evans, 60 mph (52 kts) at Akron and 4 miles east of Haxtun, and 59 mph (51 kts) at Fort Morgan. The damage associated with the windstorm was extensive. Thirty 70-ft tall power poles were damaged, including several that supported high voltage lines transmitting power directly from generating plants. The combination of downed power poles, power lines and trees resulted in outages for approximately 10,000 residents. In Lafayette, power poles were sheared off for a mile and a quarter stretch. The outages primarily affected residents in Boulder, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville and Fort Lupton. In addition to the outages, high winds ripped apart several roofs in Boulder, including the Boulder County Jail. At Jefferson County Airport, several planes were overturned and some hangers damaged or destroyed. Damage to the airport alone was estimated at $100,000. Along Interstate 25, just south of the Wyoming border, a tractor-trailer was blown onto its side by strong crosswinds. In southern Jefferson County, localized ground blizzards restricted visibilities to less than 20 feet along U.S. Highway 285, resulting in several accidents. In Pine Junction, a downed tree damaged a nearby residence when it crashed onto the roof. In Bailey, a downed tree crushed a vehicle parked in the resident's driveway.Total damage estimates for the windstorm reached $3 million, making it the fourth costliest on record in Colorado.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin forecast zone
Measured
110 kt (127 mph)
Property damage
$3.0 million
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Boulder County/Boulder and Vicinity

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Eastern Boulder County/Boulder and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
104 kt (120 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.878, -105.220 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins forecast zone
Measured
93 kt (107 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties forecast zone
Measured
93 kt (107 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Denver Metropolitan Area

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Denver Metropolitan Area forecast zone
Measured
89 kt (102 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northeastern Weld County

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Northeastern Weld County forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Morgan County/Fort Morgan and Vicinity

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Morgan County/Fort Morgan and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.263, -103.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington County/Akron and Vicinity

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Washington County/Akron and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
39.971, -103.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sedgwick and Phillips Counties

When
February 2, 6:48 PM MST to February 3, 10:15 AM MST
Where
Sedgwick and Phillips Counties forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
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 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 1999

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: 5681695, 5681696, 5681697, 5681698, 5681699, 5681700, 5681701, 5681702, 5681703.