High winds developed in the foothills of Boulder County the evening of the 17th and continued into the early morning hours of the 18th. Peak wind gusts included: 102 mph, 2 miles south-southeast of Gold Hill; 80 mph, 3 miles east of Gold Hill; and 79 mph, 3 miles north of Eldorado Springs.
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.
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 foothills of Boulder County the evening of the 17th and continued into the early morning hours of the 18th. Peak wind gusts included: 102 mph, 2 miles south-southeast of Gold Hill; 80 mph, 3 miles east of Gold Hill; and 79 mph, 3 miles north of Eldorado Springs. High winds developed later on the 18th in Phillips County. A peak wind gust to 69 mph was recorded 4 miles east of Haxtun, with 63 mph at Holyoke.
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 17, 8:24 PM MST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 824 PM MST MON FEB 17 2014 .UPDATE...WINDS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY AND FOOTHILLS SHOWING AN UPWARD TREND IN SPEEDS. SOME DARKENING LEE OF THE MOUNTAINS ON WATER VAPOR WHICH TENDS TO LINE UP WELL WITH INCREASING SPEEDS AS SUBSIDENCE CREATES DRYING. LATEST HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS SHOWING A PEAK IN WINDS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS...THEN A BIT OF A LULL BEFORE INCREASING AGAIN TOMORROW EARLY MORNING. AT THIS POINT...WARNING CRITERIA IS STILL EXPECTED SO WILL HOLD ON TO THE HIGH WIND WARNING. STILL EXPECTING TO SEE STRONGER WINDS AFTER MIDNIGHT AND INTO THE MORNING. ADJUSTED GRIDDED WIND FORECAST SLIGHTLY FOR CURRENT OBS AND TRENDS INTO TONIGHT. && .AVIATION...WINDS VERY TRICKY TONIGHT AS MOUNTAIN WAVE AS WELL AS A TRANSITORY SURFACE LOW ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR ARE CREATING SPORADIC WINDS. BJC DEFINITELY READY AND PRIMED TO SEE STRONG WESTERLY GUSTS AS STATIONS JUST WEST AND SLIGHTLY HIGHER IT ARE REPORTING GUSTS 45-55KTS. PIREPS INDICATING MOD-SEV TURBULENCE NEAR THERE AS WELL. SOME OF THESE WAVES WILL AFFECT APA AND DEN ON AND OFF THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO PREVAILING DRAINAGE WILL LIKELY BE INTERRUPTED OFF AND ON BY A MORE WESTERLY GUSTY WIND. WESTERLY WINDS MORE LIKELY TO PREVAIL AT APA AND DEN IN THE MORNING. A FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE AREA TOMORROW EARLY AFTERNOON TO SWITCH WINDS AROUND FROM THE NORTHEAST. NO CEILING OR VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 338 PM MST MON FEB 17 2014/ SHORT TERM...PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF THE NEXT LITTLE SHORTWAVE OVER UTAH HAVE TEMPORARILY LESSENED THE WESTERLY GRADIENT ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...LEADING TO THE LULL WE EXPECTED EARLIER TODAY. WINDS WILL BE INCREASING AGAIN BY EARLY EVENING AS THE FLOW ALOFT STRENGTHENS AGAIN. STILL LOOKS LIKE THE MAIN HIGH WIND THREAT IS BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 10 AM AS THIS NEXT TROUGH PASSES. ON TUESDAY THE STRONG MOUNTAIN WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH BUT THERE WILL STILL BE SOME WIND ON THE PLAINS BEHIND THE FRONT. EVENTUALLY AN ANTICYCLONIC CIRCULATION DEVELOPS THAT WILL PUSH LIGHTER EASTERLY WINDS INTO DENVER. ONLY MINOR CHANGES MADE TO THE PREVIOUS UPDATE...TRYING TO CHASE THE SHORT TERM WIND TRENDS. LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BE MORE WESTERLY AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE...ABOVE 550 MB...WILL INCREASE OVER NORTHERN COLORADO TUESDAY NIGHT. NAM12 SPATIAL CROSS SECTIONS INDICATE A MOUNTAIN WAVE DEVELOPING TOWARD 12Z WEDNESDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS AT THAT TIME WILL BE ABOVE TIMBERLINE. W-SWLY SFC WINDS IN RESPONSE TO A DEVELOPING LEE SIDE SFC TROUGH ALONG THE FRONT RANGE WILL ALLOW FOR RELATIVELY MILD OVERNIGHT LOW IN PARTS OF THE FOOTHILLS AND SOUTHERN DENVER SUBURBS WITH LOWS IN THE 30S. ON WEDNESDAY...MOISTURE IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL DEEPEN...WITH SOME WAVE CLOUD DEVELOPMENT OCCURRING ALONG AND EAST OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR. THE STRONGER WINDS WILL REMAIN ABOVE TIMBERLINE UNTIL 18Z...WITH THE STRONGER WINDS DEVELOPING IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS IN THE AFTERNOON. THE MOUNTAIN WAVE DOES NOT APPEAR STRONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT WIND HIGHLIGHTS AT THIS TIME...BUT SOME AREAS COULD SEE GUSTS IN THE 50-60 MPH RANGE. BY 00Z THURSDAY... GOOD WLY WINDS AT RIDGETOP COUPLED WITH DEEPENING MOISTURE WILL ALLOW FOR SOME SNOW TO DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS BY THAT TIME WILL BE OVER SRN ID...WITH INCREASING QG ASCENT DEVELOPING AOA 700 MB WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS IN THE 00-02Z TIME FRAME AND INTO THE DENVER AREA AROUND 04Z WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WEEK WILL LIKELY BE WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WEAK TO MODERATE QG ASCENT WILL FORM OVER NORTHERN COLORADO ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS. THE UPPER LEVEL JET AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL CO. THERE IS A BRIEF PERIOD OF NE WINDS FOLLOWING THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY EVENING...THEN IT TRANSITIONS TO NNWLY. NOT MUCH MOISTURE GENERATED THE SPATIAL CROSS SECTIONS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE IN THE LOWER LEVELS...BUT WILL STILL KEEP SLGT CHC POPS IN THE GRIDS. BETTER MOISTURE...AND QG ASCENT DEVELOPING FURTHER EAST AWAY FROM THE FRONT RANGE...SO WL GO WITH CHC POPS SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF DENVER. IN THE MOUNTAINS...THERE WILL BE PERIOD OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WITH GUSTY WINDS BUT RIGHT NOW MORE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CRITERIA...VS WINTER STORM. THE MDLS ALSO DEVELOP A DESCENT SFC LOW OVER EAST CNTRL CO WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A STRONG SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT...SO STRONG WINDS LIKELY FROM THE URBAN CORRIDOR EASTWARD WEDNESDAY EVENING AS WELL. GOOD MID LEVEL INSTABILITY AND MIXING WITH 7.5 TO 8.5 C/KM...COUPLED WITH INCREASING SUBSIDENCE AND STRONGER PRESSURE GRADIENT FOR A PERIOD OF BORA WINDS. THE WINDS WEAKEN AFTER MIDNIGHT. ON THURSDAY...THERE WILL BE SOME LINGERING OROGRAPHIC SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH MOST OF THE MOISTURE AOB 600 MB. DRY ELSEWHERE... WITH STRONG NWLY WINDS IN THE FOOTHILLS...URBAN CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS. SOME AREAS IN THE NORTHEAST PLAINS COULD SEE GUSTS IN THE 40-50 MPH RANGE WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND AGAIN THURSDAY AFTN. THE STRONG NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER COLORADO FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MORE SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS OVER THE WEEKEND. SOME ENERGY SATURDAY NIGHT...COULD AGAIN CLIP THE NORTHEAST PLAINS ALLOWING FOR A SLIGHT CHC OF SNOW THERE AS WELL. THE FLOW ALOFT WEAKENS SOMEWHAT ON SUNDAY THEN STRENGTHENS AGAIN ON MONDAY AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM DROPS OUT OF THE NORTH AND INTO COLORADO. BEST CHC OF SNOW WILL APPEARS TO BE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. AVIATION...VARIABLE WINDS AROUND DENVER AT THIS TIME...SHOULD TREND TO WEST TO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS BY EARLY EVENING. STILL EXPECTING STRONG WINDS TO AT KBJC AT TIMES TONIGHT WITH POSSIBLE LLWS...LESS OF A CHANCE OF STRONG WEST WINDS AT KDEN/KAPA OVERNIGHT BUT A BETTER CHANCE IN THE MORNING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF APPROACHING CROSSWIND LIMITS AT KDEN BETWEEN 10Z AND 22Z...THOUGH IF THAT HAPPENS PROBABLY JUST FOR A PORTION OF THAT TIME. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ033>036. && SHORT TERM...GIMMESTAD LONG TERM....COOPER UPDATE/AVIATION...KRIEDERMAN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1223 PM MST MON FEB 17 2014 COZ030>051-181930- 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- 1223 PM MST MON FEB 17 2014 ...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL 10 AM TUESDAY MORNING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG WINDS WILL REDEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON...WHILE THE FOOTHILLS WILL HAVE OCCASIONAL STRONG WINDS TONIGHT. WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 80 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN EXPOSED AND WIND PRONE AREAS FROM THE CREST OF THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS DOWN THROUGH THE FOOTHILLS. ON THE ADJACENT PLAINS...GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WILL BE COMMON BUT A FEW GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED NEXT TO THE FOOTHILLS INCLUDING BOULDER...GOLDEN...AND FORT COLLINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY HIGH WINDS OVER THE FRONT RANGE WILL DECREASE BY MIDDAY TUESDAY...THOUGH IT WILL STILL BE WINDY ACROSS THE AREA IN THE AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SNOW WILL RETURN TO THE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE OVER THE WEEKEND. OVER THE NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND OVER THE WEEKEND. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. TEMPERATURES WILL TURN COOLER THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...AND MAY BE EVEN COLDER THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE WILL BE APPRECIATED. GIMMESTAD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
908 PM MST MON FEB 17 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0844 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW BOULDER 40.00N 105.29W
02/17/2014 M72.00 MPH BOULDER CO MESONET
NCAR MESA LAB
0820 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 NW ROCKY FLATS 39.91N 105.24W
02/17/2014 M70.00 MPH JEFFERSON CO MESONET
0820 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NNE BOULDER 40.07N 105.23W
02/17/2014 M63.00 MPH BOULDER CO MESONET
NCAR FOOTHILLS LAB
0715 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 E GOLD HILL 40.05N 105.35W
02/17/2014 M64.00 MPH BOULDER CO MESONET
&&
KFREDINThe 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 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 2014
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: 504101, 504102.