WFO Denver/Boulder

CLIMATE REPORT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER, CO                                 
1224 PM MST TUE NOV 3 2009

................................... 

...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2009...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2009

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR'S         
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)      
                                          NORMAL                      
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              90   10/01/1892                                    
 LOW               -2   10/29/1917                                    
HIGHEST            84   10/18        90      -6       81  10/02       
                                                          10/01       
LOWEST             17   10/10        -2      19       23  10/27       
AVG. MAXIMUM     54.7              66.0   -11.3     66.2              
AVG. MINIMUM     31.1              35.9    -4.8     37.9              
MEAN             42.9              51.0    -8.1     52.1              
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0              
DAYS MAX <= 32      3               0.3     2.7        0              
DAYS MIN <= 32     17               8.6     8.4        6              
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0              

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM         4.17   1969                                          
 MINIMUM            T   1934                                          
TOTALS           1.36              0.99    0.37     1.44              
DAILY AVG.       0.04              0.03    0.01     0.05              
DAYS >= .01         8               5.3     2.7        5              
DAYS >= .10         5                MM      MM        3              
DAYS >= .50         0                MM      MM        1              
DAYS >= 1.00        0                MM      MM        1              
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    0.39 10/20 TO 10/21            1.06 10/05/08        

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           31.2   1969                                          
TOTALS           17.2               4.1                              

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL     676               436     240      393              
 SINCE 7/1        815               582     233      537              
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0              
 SINCE 1/1        533               696    -163      825              

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/08/1962                                              
 LATEST       06/08/2007                                              
EARLIEST      10/02             10/07                                 
LATEST                          05/05                                 
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.6
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION   1/293
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    37/350    DATE  10/29
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    54/200    DATE  10/05

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM                                      

NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            4
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             14
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         13

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     63

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH 
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN                7     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          3     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                2     SNOW                       4
LIGHT SNOW                9     SLEET                      0
FOG                      15     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      9
HAZE                      6                                           
                                                                    
-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.                                      
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.                                
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.                                       
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.                                          

$$

  ...OCTOBER 2009 BECOMES DENVER'S SECOND COLDEST MONTH...
   ...OCTOBER 2009 HAS MOVED INTO 5TH SNOWIEST OCTOBER...
   ...NEW RECORD HIGH WIND GUST OF 54 MPH ON THE 5TH...

IT WAS AN EVENTFUL OCTOBER AS COLD TEMPERATURES PREVAILED AND A STRONG LATE
OCTOBER WINTER SNOW STORM THAT MOVED ACROSS DENVER.

THERE WERE 5 LOW TEMPERATURE RECORDS EITHER TIED OR BROKEN AND 1 HIGH
TEMPERATURE TIED.  RECORD LOWS WERE ESTABLISHED ON OCTOBER 2ND...9TH AND 10TH. 
A TIED RECORD LOW WAS ESTABLISHED ON THE 3RD. A NEW RECORD LOW MAXIMUM WAS SET
ON THE 26TH.  ONLY ONE RECORD THAT DEALT WITH WARM TEMPERATURES WAS A TIED
RECORD HIGH ON THE THE 18TH.  THE MONTH'S TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM A
THE TIED RECORD HIGH OF 84 DEGREES ON THE 18TH DOWN TO A LOW TEMPERATURE OF 17
DEGREES...ALSO A RECORD ON THE 10TH.  THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE 10TH WAS
A VERY CHILLY 22 DEGREES.  THE MONTH'S AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS ONLY 42.9
DEGREES WHICH MOVED OCTOBER 2009 INTO THE 2ND COLDEST OCTOBER IN DENVER
WEATHER HISTORY. THE COLDEST OCTOBER WAS A VERY FRIGID 39.0 DEGREES WHICH
WAS RECORDED IN 1969.  THERE WERE 17 DAYS WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURES WERE 32
DEGREES OR LOWER WHEREAS THE NORMAL AMOUNT IS ONLY 9.  THREE HIGH TEMPERATURES
DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE FREEZING MARK WHICH IS 3 ABOVE NORMAL.

A STRONG WINTER STORM MOVED ACROSS THE DENVER METRO AREA WHICH INVOLVED
3 DAYS...27TH THROUGH THE 29TH.  15.3 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OFFICIALLY MEASURED
AT THE DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DIA). THIS STORM HELPED TO MOVE THE MONTH
INTO 5TH SNOWIEST OCTOBER WITH A TOTAL OF 17.2 INCHES.   THERE WERE NUMEROUS
PLACES AROUND THE METRO AREA THAT MEASURED SNOW ABOVE 20 INCHES.  IT HAS BEEN
A LONG TIME SINCE DENVER HAS BEEN ABOVE NORMAL FOR SNOWFALL IN OCTOBER. THE
17.2 INCHES WAS 11.0 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 6.2 INCHES.  THIS WINTER STORM
ACCOUNTED FOR 0.69 INCH OF THE OCTOBER TOTAL MOISTURE WHICH WAS A RESPECTABLE
1.39 INCHES.  THIS WAS 0.37 INCH ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 0.99 INCH.  IT WAS NOT
ENOUGH LIQUID TO GET INTO THE TOP 10 WETTEST. EIGHT DAYS HAD MEASURABLE
MOISTURE WITH 5 MEASURING 0.10 INCH OR MORE. NO RECORDS FOR PRECIPITATION WERE
SET OR TIED DURING OCTOBER 2009.

THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS RECORDED AT DIA.  EIGHT DAYS HAD DENSE FOG
OBSERVED WHICH IS VISIBILITY OF 1/4 MILE OR LESS.  THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF DENSE
FOG AT DIA IS 1.  THE PEAK WIND WAS 54 MPH FROM A SOUTHWEST DIRECTION ON THE
5TH.  THIS ESTABLISHED A NEW HIGH WIND GUST SURPASSING THE OLD RECORD OF 48
MPH SET IN 1990.

BENTON/JK

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