88-year-old mark falls
Boulder County sets new low temp records Sunday, Monday
While this weekend’s storm brought some much-needed moisture to wildfires burning in Boulder County and the state, it was its low temperatures that set two new records in Boulder.
The significant amount of snow that fell was not enough to break a 1997 record, but combined with the low temperatures on Sunday and Monday, the storm helped keep the Calwood Fire from seeing too much activity.
Boulder broke its first low temperature record on Sunday morning at 7 a.m., after the first inch of snow fell. The National Weather Service’s Boulder office reported a new record temperature of 14 degrees Fahrenheit for the date, breaking a 1932 low temperature record of 17 degrees.
Later in the day, the temperature continued to drop, reaching a new low for the day. As the snow accumulation approached 10 inches, the temperature fell to 10 degrees. The updated temperature, according to NWS data further separated Sunday’s number from the 88-year-old record.
NWS meteorologist Russell Danielson says this historic October chill came from far away.
“We had a low-pressure system in the area over the last 36 hours,” he said. “That low-pressure system actually drew in air all the way from the Arctic Ocean.”
The Arctic air made for more chilly temperatures on Monday morning, breaking another low temperature record. Boulder overtook the record low for Oct. 26 when NWS climate observer Matthew Kelsch reported a temperature of 5 degrees at 7 a.m. This tops the record of 13 degrees set in 1997.
Danielson says the chill coming from the Arctic could drop the temperature more on Monday evening with the help of other factors.
“That’s the main reason why, in addition to the snow cover and decreasing clouds, that will allow temperatures to drop out tonight and reach record lows,” Danielson said.
As for total snowfall, NWS reported Boulder saw 12.4 inches during the storm. While the total snowfall was significant, it was not enough to surpass the Boulder snow record set during the October blizzard in 1997. In the course of 24 hours ending on Oct. 25, Boulder received 22.1 inches of snow.
It might be hard to believe with the current weather, but the NWS predicts Boulder will see warmer temperatures and no precipitation for the next seven to ten days.