Intense winds developed above timberline for a few hours. Peak wind gusts included 97 mph atop Niwot Ridge and 84 mph just east of Berthoud Pass.
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The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
Intense winds developed above timberline for a few hours. Peak wind gusts included 97 mph atop Niwot Ridge and 84 mph just east of Berthoud Pass.
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 Jan 17, 9:43 PM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 943 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 943 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 ONLY CHANGES TO THE FORECAST WILL BE TO REMOVE THE MENTION OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW FROM THE MOUNTAINS. DRY AIR WILL BE MOVING OVER THE STATE TONIGHT AND WINDS ARE CONFINED TO THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY OVERNIGHT AS A LEE WAVE CLOUD BREAKS UP OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 306 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 AN AREA OF STRONG SUBSIDENCE ON THE BACKSIDE OF A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS NOW EXITING THE STATE. GJT-DEN AND EGE-DEN SFC-1500M PRES GRADIENTS ALSO CONTINUE TO RELAX AT THIS HOUR. THIS HAS RESULTED IN A STEADY DECREASE IN WIND SPDS ACROSS THE FCST AREA. THIS DROP OFF IN WINDS IS ONLY TEMPORARY. MODELS SHOW LEE TROUGHING AND A WELL FORMED MTN WAVE OVERNIGHT. MODEL CROSS SECTIONS INDICATE A CROSS MTN WIND COMPONENT OF 40-50KTS OVER HIGHER EAST FACING SLOPES OF THE FRONT RANGE AT AFTER 06Z TONIGHT. HOWEVER A NEAR NEUTRAL STABILITY PROFILE AND LACK OF STG DOWNWARD FORCING ALOFT SHOULD REDUCE THE ODDS OF SEEING SFC WIND SPEEDS AS STRONG AS THOSE LAST NIGHT. THAT SAID...WILL STILL CONTINUE TO MENTION AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW OVER HIGHER AREAS. IN ADDITION...HIGH-LEVEL MOISTURE CARRIED ALONG BY 60-80KT NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL SPREAD OVER THE MTNS AND ADJACENT HIGH PLAINS THROUGH THE EVENING. CLOUD BASES ARE FORECAST TO GRADUALLY LOWER ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE OVERNIGHT WITH LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPING MAINLY OVER HIGHER WEST-NORTHWEST FACING MTN SLOPES. THE SHALLOW DEPTH OF THIS MOISTURE SHOULD KEEP ANY SNOW AMOUNTS ON THE LOW SIDE. LIGHTER WINDS ON THE PLAINS TONIGHT WILL GIVE US A WIDER RANGE OF TEMPERATURES WITH THE COLDER READINGS OVER THE PERSISTENT SNOW FIELDS. ON SUNDAY...A SWIFT NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO PUMP MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE STATE THROUGH THE DAY GIVING THE NORTHERN MTNS A GROWING CHANCE OF SNOW THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. LOW PRESSURE ON THE PLAINS WILL HELP SUPPORT PERIODS OF GUSTY WEST- NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGH THE DAY. THIS DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL RESULT IN WARMER TEMPERATURES TOMORROW WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. KEEP IN MIND THE AVERAGE HIGH IN THE DENVER AREA TOMORROW IS AROUND 45 DEGS. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 306 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 THE UPCOMING WEEK WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A MODERATE NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN ACROSS THE REGION. THIS WILL RESULT IN GENERALLY DRY AND MILD CONDITIONS ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND SEASONAL NORMALS. HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE A FEW IMPULSES IN THE FLOW THAT WILL RESULT IN COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW ON MONDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. THE FIRST DISTURBANCE WILL RAPIDLY MOVE ACROSS COLORADO MONDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT WITH AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MONDAY EVENING OVER THE PLAINS. NOT MUCH OF AN UPSLOPE PUSH AS MOST OF THE WINDS OFF THE FRONT RANGE WILL BE NORTHWEST. MODELS CONTINUE TO PAINT SOME LIGHT QPF OVER THE FAR PLAINS WITH TOO MUCH DOWNSLOPE FURTHER WEST. THIS WILL RESULT IN COOLER TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY BEHIND THE TROF. SOME LIGHT SNOW AS WELL OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS... ESPECIALLY OVER ZONE 31 AND 33. ANOTHER WEAK TROF WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THIS TROF LOOKS RATHER DRY AS WELL THE EUROPEAN SHOWS A BIT MORE MOISTURE SO WILL KEEP IN THE LOW POPS WHICH ARE ALREADY IN THE FORECASTS. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY LOOKS DRY AGAIN AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK INTO THE REGION. NEXT CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL BE SATURDAY AS THE NEXT WAVE DROPS ACROSS THE REGION. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 943 PM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 WINDS APPEAR TO HAVE GONE TO DRAINAGE AND NO MECHANISM FOR STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS IS EVIDENT. NO AVIATION IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && UPDATE...DANKERS SHORT TERM...BAKER LONG TERM...ENTREKIN AVIATION...DANKERS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 1100 AM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 COZ030>051-181800- 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- 1100 AM MST SAT JAN 17 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. HOWEVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS MAY STILL EXPERIENCE GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO AROUND 35 MPH THROUGH AT LEAST MID-AFTERNOON. MEANWHILE THE GUSTY WINDS UP AROUND TIMBERLINE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. OTHERWISE DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY. TONIGHT...STRONG AND GUST WEST WINDS WILL AGAIN DEVELOP ON THE FRONT RANGE RESULTING IN AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS MAY ALSO SEE A FEW SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS SOME MOISTURE MOVES ACROSS IN WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS A WEAK SYSTEM DROPS SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE DENVER AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. BAKER/ENTREKIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2015
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: 554223.