High winds developed over Denver and the adjacent plains, with peak gusts around 60 mph. A peak wind gust to 61 mph was observed at Akron and Limon with a gust to 58 mph at Denver International Airport.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 over Denver and the adjacent plains, with peak gusts around 60 mph. A peak wind gust to 61 mph was observed at Akron and Limon with a gust to 58 mph at Denver International Airport.
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 Apr 19, 1:26 PM MST, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO Issued by National Weather Service Pueblo CO 226 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 217 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 Key Messages: 1) Showers/isolated storms this evening, changing to snow. 2) Scattered light snow accumulation possible in the lower elevations, with a few inches and slick spots in mountain travel. 3) Windy eastern plains this evening, breezy Thursday. Satellite shows and enhanced band of cloudiness and increasing showers stretching from southeast Wyoming into Central Colorado early this afternoon. This band is being driven by very strong mid level frontogenesis as a mid level shortwave and cold front shift east across the region. The main shot of precipitation associated with this feature will be from the late afternoon through early evening. At the same time, a reinforcing surge of colder air will arrive with gusty northerly winds developing over the plains. The combination of heavier precipitation and cold advection will allow rain showers in the lower elevations to mix with/quickly change to snow by early evening (6-8pm). At this point, wouldn't be surprised to see a heavy burst or two of snow on the plains at some point, with a quick inch of slushy snow in the grass (roads will remain warm enough to melt any of this snow). Snow showers will then diminish from northwest to southeast across the area mid to late evening, lingering latest in the I-70 Mountain Corridor, as well as over the eastern plains. Given the locally heavy snow showers and snow lingering into the evening in the high country, slick roads and hazardous travel will be possible in a few spots, including the approaches to the Eisenhower Tunnel and Vail Pass. Winds will be increasing late this afternoon, as the reinforcing surge of cold air arrives. Peak gusts of 30-40 mph will be possible over the plains, perhaps approaching 45-50 mph in areas long/east of Akron to Limon line, where the pressure rises will be strongest. Winds will then generally relax overnight, as the gradient weakens and weak inversions develop under gradually clearing skies. Thursday will start off with a fair amount of sunshine. That will help destabilize the atmosphere once again in the northwest flow aloft. Temperatures will only be able to warm to around 50F on the plains, before convective cloudiness develops and we reach our max heating. Isolated rain/snow showers will be possible over the plains, while mountain areas should see at least scattered shower coverage and spotty light accumulations of an inch or less. Breezy conditions will develop once we reach convective temperatures, which should occur by late morning over most of plains. Gusts expected to stay mostly in the 20-30mph range, with a few gusts around 35 mph over the northeast plains. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 217 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 Cool unsettled weather is expected across the forecast area Thursday night through Saturday, as a large upper level low pressure system moves over the Northern Great Lakes region and moderate to strong northwesterly flow aloft sets up over Colorado. Moisture will be limited Thursday night into Friday morning, with some light snow and breezy conditions over the high country. Mid level moisture increases over the area by Friday afternoon, with a 125+kt upper jet moving across central and eastern Colorado. As a result, the mountains should see a better chance for accumulating snow, especially if banding develops in the vicinity of the upper jet. Further east across the plains, a narrow band of showers could move off the mountains, given the instability and banding potential. A cold front is progged to move across northeastern Colorado Friday evening. Upslope flow behind the front, combined with frontogenic lift, should result in a good chance for precipitation from the foothills eastward across the plains and Palmer Divide Friday night. The foothills and Front Range Mountains could see 2 to 6 inches of accumulation, with some light accumulations possible across the plains. Weak upslope flow is expected to continue east of the mountains through Saturday, with cold temperatures and areas of light snow possible. The mountains should also see some light snow, due to the moist northwesterly flow continuing. Warmer and drier conditions are expected Sunday into early next week, as weak upper level high pressure builds over the Rocky Mountain region. However, there should be enough moisture caught up in the flow to produce light snow showers over the higher mountains. By Tuesday, there's a considerable amount of uncertainty with ensembles pointing to a wide range of solutions. Some show deeper troughiness and potential for a stronger storm system, while others are more progressive with a drier westerly flow. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 217 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 Winds still remain a challenge for today's forecast as an anticyclone attempts to break down into a developing shear zone/Denver Cyclone followed by fropa/outflow boundaries. Complex, but we do think the general trends are there with an east/southeast wind becoming more northerly and gusting to 25-30 kts toward 21Z. Scattered showers will develop in the Denver area toward 20Z, with a low (10% chance of a brief thunderstorm). Ceilings will likely drop to MVFR with the showers especially as we head closer to 00Z. Showers may mix/change to snow 00Z-03Z with cold advection, but no accumulation expected on paved surfaces and only a dusting to <1" on the grass. Showers end 03Z-06Z with clearing skies thereafter, and winds decreasing becoming more west/southwest 09Z-12Z. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 217 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 It will become windy again over South Park and the southern Front Range Foothills into the southern portions of the Palmer Divide. Humidity will drop below 15 percent over southern Lincoln County, so a Red Flag Warning was issued there for this afternoon. Otherwise, it will be breezy with northerly winds increasing late this afternoon. Fortunately those winds will be accompanied by increasing showers, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity. Drier air within breezy northwest flow tomorrow will lead to near critical fire weather conditions, especially over portions of southern Lincoln County. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 7 PM MDT this evening for COZ247. && SHORT TERM...099 LONG TERM...099 AVIATION...099 FIRE WEATHER...099
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 1108 AM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 COZ030>051-201715- 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- 1108 AM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023 ...RED FLAG WARNING SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY UNTIL 7 PM TODAY... This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Snow showers will prevail over the mountains through early to mid evening with anywhere from 1 to 5 inches of snow expected. Slick spots will be possible during the heaviest snow showers into early evening, and then again overnight as temperatures drop. Be prepared for variable travel conditions. For the plains, rain showers will develop this afternoon and then mix with and change to snow early this evening. A light snow accumulation will be possible but only on grassy and elevated surfaces. An isolated thunderstorm or two can also be expected, with brief but heavy snow possible. Fire weather conditions will be elevated to critical from South Park eastward toward southern Lincoln County, where winds will gust to around 40 mph and humidities drop close to 15%. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Northwest flow aloft will bring windy conditions for most of the area for Thursday and Friday. Light mountain snow is expected for both days. A weak system will bring a better chance for mountain snow late Friday and Saturday. Some light snow will also be possible across the Front Range and eastern plains. Another storm system may bring more light snow to the high country late Monday and Monday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today or tonight.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
207 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023
COZ040-045-192045-
Central and East Adams and Arapahoe Counties CO-
North Douglas County Below 6000 Feet/Denver/West Adams and Arapahoe
Counties/East Broomfield County CO-
207 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of central Adams County
through 245 PM MDT...
At 206 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Manila Village, or 24 miles east of Denver, moving north at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Eastern Aurora, Bennett and Manila Village.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Prepare for sudden gusty winds. Secure loose objects and move to a
safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3975 10441 3974 10458 4000 10455 4000 10439
TIME...MOT...LOC 2006Z 185DEG 20KT 3979 10450
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
RPKSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
216 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023
COZ040-041-192045-
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet CO-
North Douglas County Below 6000 Feet/Denver/West Adams and Arapahoe
Counties/East Broomfield County CO-
216 PM MDT Wed Apr 19 2023
...Gusty winds will impact portions of northeastern Douglas and
southwestern Arapahoe Counties through 245 PM MDT...
At 215 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking showers producing gusty
winds over southern Castle Pines, or 20 miles south of Denver,
moving northeast at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Southwestern Aurora, southeastern Centennial, eastern Highlands
Ranch, Castle Rock, Parker, Greenwood Village, Lone Tree, Castle
Pines, The Pinery, Sedalia and Franktown.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Prepare for sudden gusty winds. Secure loose objects and move to a
safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3937 10496 3938 10495 3941 10495 3941 10497
3942 10498 3962 10490 3962 10461 3936 10470
TIME...MOT...LOC 2015Z 223DEG 20KT 3944 10489
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
RPKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
337 PM MDT WED APR 19 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0327 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SE DENVER INTL AIRPOR 39.85N 104.66W
04/19/2023 M58 MPH DENVER CO ASOS
PEAK WIND FROM KDEN ASOS.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 2023
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: 1096481, 1096483, 1096482.