High winds developed in the Front Range Foothills. Peak wind gusts included 93 mph at Red Feather Lakes and 88 mph at Coal Creek Canyon.
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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.
The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
High winds developed in the Front Range Foothills. Peak wind gusts included 93 mph at Red Feather Lakes and 88 mph at Coal Creek Canyon.
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 Sep 29, 1:45 PM MST, 11 hours 34 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 245 PM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009 .SHORT TERM...MAIN CONCERN OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE DEVELOPING STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS...LEADING INTO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FOR WEDNESDAY. AS THE GREAT BASIN TROF PUSHES SLOWLY EASTWARD...AN INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS MUCH OF COLORADO FROM LATE TONIGHT AND DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THE WINDS DONT LOOK STRONG ENOUGH FOR HIGH WINDS BUT WILL LEAD TO CONCERNS FOR POSSIBLE RED FLAG CONDITIONS OVER THE FRONT RANGE AND EASTERN PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON. ONCE LOW LEVEL INVERSIONS BREAK BY LATE MORNING...SOME OF THE STRONGER WINDS WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE RESULTING IN 25-35KT WINDS ON THE PLAINS AND SOME HIGHER GUSTS IN THE FOOTHILLS UP TO 45KT IN THE FOOTHILLS. THE RH LVLS AND FUEL MOISTURE ARE MORE BORDERLINE BUT LAND MANAGERS FELT THE WIND ALONE WOULD BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE ISSUES. HENCE...WILL ISSUE A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND EXTEND THROUGH ALL OF THE NORTHEAST PLAINS FROM NOON WED THRU 9 PM ON WEDNESDAY EVENING. IF THE FRONTAL TIMING WITH THE COOLER AIR IS MORE QUICKER LIKE THE GFS...THEN MIN RH LVLS MAY BE TOO HIGH FOR A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. MOISTURE LEVELS STILL LOOK SCARCE THRU WED WITH MUCH OF THE MOISTURE ON THE PLAINS WILL BE ABOVE 500MB...BUT STILL MAY RESULT IN SOME ISOLATED HIGH BASED CONVECTION. WILL LEAVE THE ISOLATED POPS ON THE PLAINS. FOR THE MOUNTAINS...EXPECT SHOWERS TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH DEEPER MOISTURE AND MODERATE QG ASCENT. .LONG TERM...THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS ALONG WITH A 110 KT JET MAX ROUNDING THE BOTTOM WILL BE OVER WESTERN COLORADO WEDNESDAY EVENING. STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT ALONG WITH THE PRESSURE GRADIENT FROM THE DEEPENING SURFACE LOW OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WILL KEEP THE STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS GOING THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. SOME MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM ALONG WITH MODERATE UPWARD QG VERTICAL VELOCITY OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WILL COMBINE TO KEEP THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EARLY EVENING. HAVE KEPT THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH GOING THROUGH 9 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR THE WARM AND DRY WEATHER WITH THE STRONG WINDS CONTINUING THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING...WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH ESPECIALLY OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND SURROUNDING PLAINS. A COLD FRONT WILL DROP OVER THE STATE AFTER MIDNIGHT BRINGING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES AND AN INCREASE IN WINDS AND MOISTURE. WITH STRONG NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALIGNED THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE...LOOKING FOR NORTHWEST SURFACE WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH OVER THE FAR NORTHEASTERN PLAINS. TEMPERATURES THURSDAY WILL BE ABOUT 25 TO 30 DEGREES COLDER THAN WEDNESDAY. SOME MOISTURE CONTINUING TO PULL SOUTH WILL BRING LIKELY SNOW TO THE HIGH COUNTRY WITH 2-6 INCHES POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN JACKSON AND GRAND COUNTIES SEEING THE MOST. THE PLAINS WILL HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN THROUGH THURSDAY AS MOST OF THE MOISTURE WILL BE WRUNG OUT OVER THE MOUNTAINS OR ALREADY MOVED OVER THE GREAT PLAINS. MODERATE DOWNWARD QG MOTION ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE TROUGH WILL CLEAR SKIES OUT FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY MORNING...WITH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DIPPING INTO THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S OVER THE PLAINS AND INTO THE UPPER TEENS FOR THE HIGH COUNTRY. DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AS WEAK UPPER RIDGING FILLS IN BEHIND THE EXITING TROUGH. TEMPERATURES WILL STAY BELOW NORMAL AS THE RIDGING STAYS PRETTY FLAT. THE NEXT SYSTEM PROGGED TO DROP OUT OF WESTERN CANADA LOOKS TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND THEN REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY BUT DIG A LITTLE FARTHER INTO CALIFORNIA THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS WILL KEEP WEST TO SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE STATE ALONG WITH A FEW IMPULSES BRINGING UP A LITTE MOISTURE UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST. HAVE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED POPS IN THE GRIDS FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW NORMAL IN THIS PATTERN. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TYPICAL DRAINAGE WINDS TONIGHT THEN EXPECT INCREASING SW SFC WINDS BY AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS IN THE 20-35KT RANGE. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS BY LATE AFTERNOON WITH WIND GUSTS THE MAIN IMPACT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 215..216..238>251 FROM 18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH 03Z WED NIGHT. ENTREKIN/KRIEDERMAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1104 AM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009 COZ030>051-301200- JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-WEST JACKSON AND WEST GRAND COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON/LARIMER/NORTH AND NORTHEAST GRAND/ NORTHWEST BOULDER COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST GRAND/WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST BOULDER/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/ SUMMIT/NORTH AND WEST PARK COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PARK COUNTY-LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/ EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES- NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY- 1104 AM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST ONTO THE PLAINS TODAY...ALLOWING SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS TO INCREASE ACROSS NORTHERN COLORADO. GUSTS AS HIGH AS 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT...WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH IN THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS. HIGHS WILL BE 10 TO 15 DEGREES WARMER ON THE PLAINS TODAY...WITH MILD TEMPERATURES CONTINUING IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE COMBINATION OF WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW HUMIDITIES AND WIND WILL CAUSE INCREASING FIRE DANGER ON WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST FOR ALL AREAS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS OVER THE MOUNTAINS WILL BE INCREASING AHEAD OF A STORM SYSTEM BRINGING GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH POSSIBLE. THE STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS COLORADO WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY BRINGING IN COLDER AIR...GUSTY WINDS SPREADING ACROSS THE PLAINS AND MOUNTAIN SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 6 INCHES ARE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE PLAINS CAN EXPECT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES A BIT BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. ENTREKIN/KRIEDERMAN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, September 2009
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: 213114, 213112.