Frost/Freeze — Sedgwick County, Colorado

2014-11-10 to 2014-11-14 · Sedgwick County, Colorado

Wider weather episode

An Arctic cold front associated with a strong storm system over the northern Rockies blasted into northeastern Colorado. The temperature in Denver plummeted from the high of 64 degrees at 4:37 pm on the 10th to 34 degrees by 5:53 pm. The temperatures continued to fall and dropped into the teens by early evening. The Arctic airmass remained entrenched over the region, with the high temperatures failing to reach the teens from the 11th through the 13th. This was the first time since records have been taken in Denver, dating back to 1872, that there were three consecutive days with the maximum temperatures remained below 20 degrees in the month of November. Several temperature records were broken. In Denver alone, a

record low max of 16 degrees on the 11th broke the previous record of 19 set back in 1916. A record low max of 6 degrees on the 12th broke the previous record of 9 degrees, also set in 1916. The record low of -13 on the 12th, shattered the previous record of -4 degrees set back in 1872. Even more impressive, the record low of -14 degrees on the 13th broke the previous record of -3 degrees set back in 1916. The sudden drop in temperatures on the 10th, followed by several days of sub freezing temperatures chilled trees to the core. A record drop in temperatures preceded by mild fall temperatures damaged or killed scores of trees across the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains. At the time, the trees were not finished with the hardening process that enables them to withstand winter weather. Many were instantly flash-frozen, and some would not show signs of damage until spring. Of the 2.2 million trees in the city of Denver alone, tens of thousands were killed from the November frost.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 598256. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.