High Wind — Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado

1999-02-17 to 1999-02-18 · Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado

Wider weather episode

Following the passage of the storm system, damaging bora winds developed in and near the Front Range Foothills. Peak wind reports included: 90 mph (78 kts) at the Gamow Tower on the Boulder Campus, 79 mph (69 kts) at the NCAR Mesa Lab and the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC), 7 miles west of Broomfield, 75 mph (65 kts) at Carter Lake, 72 mph (63 kts) at Blue Mountain and Jefferson County Airport and 71 mph (61 kts), 5 miles south of Fort Collins.Downed power lines caused major outages in Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Golden and Lakewood. The outage affected at least 10,000 residents. In Golden, the wind toppled a "lightning static protection" line atop a 70-ft, 230,000 volt distribution tower. The downed line, sparked a small grass fire just east of the Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center. The fire burned a path approximately 100 yards wide and a third of a mile long before it was contained.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5681797. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.