High Wind in Colorado, November 18, 1999

Name: High Wind in Colorado, November 18, 1999
Start: 1999-11-18T05:45
End: 1999-11-18T15:00
Location: Colorado

November 18, 1999 · NWS BOU · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

High winds developed in and near the Front Range Foothills, eventually spreading across portions of the Northeast Plains. A spotter 6 miles north of Masonville, in the foothills of Larimer County, registered a peak wind gust of 125 mph (109 kts). Several ham radio antennas in the area were damaged. Strong winds also downed power lines which sparked several small brush fires. In Broomfield, scaffolding was damaged at the Wadsworth Recreation Center, while flying rocks broke several windows at a local bank building. Other peak wind gusts included: 92 mph (80 kts) at Estes Park, 91 mph (80 kts) at Blue Mountain, 88 mph (76 kts) at the Gamow Tower in Boulder and Carter Lake, 83 mph (72 kts) at the Jefferson County Airport, 81 mph (70 kts) at the NCAR Mesa Lab, 80 mph (70 kts) at Wondervu, 75 mph (65 kts) at Pinewood Lake, 72 mph (62 kts) atop Niwot Ridge, 71 mph (61 kts) 4 miles east of Haxtun and 58 mph (50 kts) at Akron.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 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: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Front Range Foothills/Upper Laramie and Cache la Poudre River Basins / C Boulder / Ne Gilpin / C Larimer forecast zone
Measured: 109 kt (125 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.380, -105.410 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin / W Jefferson / Ne Park / E Clear Creek / Se Gilpin / Sw Douglas

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Front Range Foothills/Clear Creek Basin / W Jefferson / Ne Park / E Clear Creek / Se Gilpin / Sw Douglas forecast zone
Measured: 79 kt (91 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties / Fort Collins and Vicinity / E Larimer / Nw Weld

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties / Fort Collins and Vicinity / E Larimer / Nw Weld forecast zone
Measured: 77 kt (89 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Boulder County/Boulder and Vicinity / E Boulder / X Sw Weld

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Boulder County/Boulder and Vicinity / E Boulder / X Sw Weld forecast zone
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.878, -105.220 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Denver Metropolitan Area / E Jefferson / W Adams / Denver / W Arapahoe / N Douglas forecast zone
Measured: 72 kt (83 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.714, -104.707 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington County/Akron and Vicinity

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Washington County/Akron and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 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: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Sedgwick and Phillips Counties forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.876, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rabbit Ears & Medicine Bow Ranges/Rocky Mountain National Park / W Larimer / Jackson Ecept C / N Grand / X Nw Boulder

When: November 18, 5:45 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Rabbit Ears & Medicine Bow Ranges/Rocky Mountain National Park / W Larimer / Jackson Ecept C / N Grand / X Nw Boulder forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 40.382, -105.820 (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

Every storm in Colorado in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, November 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5721116, 5721117, 5721118, 5721119, 5721120, 5721121, 5721122, 5721228.