High Wind in Colorado, February 9, 2002

Name: High Wind in Colorado, February 9, 2002
Start: 2002-02-09T03:45
End: 2002-02-09T12:30
Location: Colorado

February 9, 2002 · NWS BOU · 12 events in 11 counties and zones

High wind developed in the Front Range Foothills, Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains of Colorado. Blowing dust and snow caused visibilities to drop to zero across portions of the plains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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: 12

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 wind developed in the Front Range Foothills, Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains of Colorado. Blowing dust and snow caused visibilities to drop to zero across portions of the plains. Multiple accidents occurred across central Weld County. Blizzard conditions were reported across southern Washington and northern Lincoln Counties where sustained wind to 45 mph were recorded.Peak wind reports included: 98 mph (85 kt), 25 miles west of Peetz, 83 mph (73 kt), 1 mile south of Fritz Peak, 80 mph (70 kt), 4 miles east of Peetz, 74 mph (64 kt) at Haxtun, 71 mph (62 kt) at Carter Lake, 70 mph (61 kt) at Evergreen and Otis, 69 mph (60 kt) at Merino, 67 mph (58 kt) in extreme northwest Elbert County and at Parker, 66 mph (57 kt) at Fort Morgan, 65 mph (55 kt) at Fort Collins and 60 mph (52 kt) at Akron and Sedgwick.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 9, 3:00 AM MST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 9, 3:00 AM MST, 45 minutes before

NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
300 AM MST SAT FEB 9 2002

SHORT TERM DISCUSSION:  MDLS CONSISTENT IN SPINNING SFC LOW OVER
SERN NEBRASKA/NERN KS AT 12Z...SFC LOW SHIFTS VERY LITTLE IN 12 HRS
...MOVING INTO NWRN MO BY 00Z SUNDAY.  AS A RESULT...STG SFC
PRESSURE GRADIENT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE NERN PLAINS OF
CO THRU 00Z THIS EVENING.  MESOETA BNDRY LYR WINDS IN THE NERN
PLAINS ARE PROGGED TO BE 40-45 KTS TDA. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...MDLS
FAIRLY AGREEABLE AS WELL WITH CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER WRN KS AT 12Z...
BECOMING STACKED OVER THE SFC LOW AT 00Z.  END RESULT IS A STG NLY
FLOW OVR CO AS WELL.  IN TERMS OF DYNAMICS... WEAK H5-H3 QG ASCENT
DOES LINGER ACRS NERN CO THRU THE AFTN...BUT MID LVL INSTABILITIES
ARE FAIRLY LOW.  SEE NO REASON AT THIS TIME TO SWAY FROM THE CURRENT
HIGHLIGHT PACKAGE.  AS FOR SNOW POTENTIAL ...MESOETA INDICATES LIGHT
SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN THE MOUNTAINS ...WITH ANOTHER AREA OF LIGHT
SNOW ALG THE PALMER DIVIDE THROUGH THE AFTN. THIS COULD BE A
POTENTIAL PROBLEM IF HEAVIER BANDS OF SNOW DEVELOP.  IF CONDITIONS
BECOME WORSE THAN ANTICIPATED...DAY SHIFT MAY NEED TO HOIST A
BLIZZARD WARNING IN A FEW PLAINS ZONES THIS AFTN.  FOR NOW HOWEVER
WILL MENTION JUST MINIMAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE
IN THE FIRST PERIOD. ASIDE FM ZNS 41...URBAN CORRIDOR SHOULD GET DRY
SLOTTED...WITH BEST SNOW POTENTIAL EAST OF THE AREA.   AS FOR
TNGT...MOISTURE WILL DECREASE AND SFC GRADIENT SHOULD START TO RELAX
DURING THE EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SFC AND ALOFT SLOWLY
BUILDS OVER THE STATE.  COOPER

LONG TERM DISCUSSION...SUN-MON...MDLS BLD UPR RDG OVR CNTRL RCKYS
THRU PRD.  WK SURGE OF HI PRES WILL MOVE S OVR HI PLAINS MON AFTN
INTO MON NGT IN ASSOC AS GUD SHT WV MOVES ACRS NRN RCKYS ONTO NRN
GRT PLAINS.  UPR RDG PRODUCES STG WRMG ALF FROM SUN MRNG THRU MON
MIDDAY WHICH WILL WRM SFC TEMPS RPDLY UPWRD.  WILL KEEP MAX TEMPS
CLOSR TO NGM MOS TEMP GDNC ON SUN BUT KEEP TEMPS WRMR THAN EITHER
NGM OR AVN GDNC ON SUN NGT AND MON DUE TO MUCH WRMR H7 TEMPS.

IN XTNDD PRD...TUE-FRI...MRF APPRS TO MAINTAIN LNG WV UPR RDG OVR
WRN U.S. THUR PRD.  HWVR...MRF SHOWS PCPN MOVG INTO MTNS LATE WED
INTO THU IN ADV OF SHT WV MOVG INTO GRT BASIN.  NEW MRF IS DRY ON
TUE SO WILL REMOVE ANY MENTION OF SNW MTNS.  WILL MAKE ONLY MINOR
ADJUSTMNTS TO MAX AND MIN TEMPS TO REFLECT NEW MRF MOS TEMP GDNC.

GARD...WFO BOULDER

.DEN...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY FOR THE NRN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS
       ...ZONE 35.
       HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY THE NERN CO PLAINS...ZNS 38..
       42>51.
       SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVSY TODAY FOR THE N-CENTRAL
       MOUNTAINS...ZONES 31...33 AND 34.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Logan County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Logan County forecast zone
Measured: 85 kt (98 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.725, -103.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Larimer & Boulder Counties Between 6000 & 9000 Feet forecast zone
Measured: 72 kt (83 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
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: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Jefferson & W Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet / Gilpin / Clear Creek / Ne Park Counties Below 9000 Feet forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.516, -105.413 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Larimer County Below 6000 Feet / Nw Weld County forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Elbert / C & E Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Elbert / C & E Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.422, -104.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, C & S Weld County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: C & S Weld County forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Morgan County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Morgan County forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.263, -103.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: N & Ne Elbert County Below 6000 Feet / N Lincoln County forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.138, -103.825 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Logan County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Logan County forecast zone
Measured: 85 kt (98 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.725, -103.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Washington County forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 39.971, -103.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sedgwick County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Sedgwick County 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)

High Wind, Phillips County

When: February 9, 3:45 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Phillips County forecast zone
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 40.594, -102.358 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, February 2002

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: 5283195, 5283196, 5283297, 5283298, 5283299, 5283300, 5283301, 5283302, 5283303, 5283304, 5283305, 5283306.