Denver's 2020 Annual Climate Summary
Denver’s 2020 weather was dominated by dryness and some heat. Drought conditions developed and spread across Colorado, especially over the last half of the year, including the greater Denver area. In fact, 2020 in Denver finished with a total of 8.74 inches of precipitation. That is the 9th driest year in Denver since weather records began in 1872. The driest year ever recorded in Denver was 2002 when only 7.48 inches of precipitation fell.
Denver’s average annual temperature in 2020 was 52.3 degrees, which tied for 15th warmest. That was 1.8 degrees above the normal yearly average of 50.5 degrees. Denver recorded the most days ever with a high temperature of 90 degrees or better; 75 days. The previous record was 73 days set in 2012. The average occurrence is just 30 days of 90 or above daily highs. There is an interesting note concerning one aspect of climatological warming at our local level. When looking at the total number of days annually that hit 90 degrees or better; the top 11 years in Denver have all occurred since 1994, with 15 of the top 20 occurring since 2000. That is pretty significant considering that there have been 149 years of data here in Denver since and including 1872.
Another interesting weather record concerning heat occurred in 2020. On September 5, 2020, the temperature hit 101 degrees. That broke the previous all-time monthly record high temperature for September that was just set the previous year; 2019. It also was the latest date in the year it ever reached 100 degrees or more in the Mile High City. There have only been 2 occurrences of 100 degree daily high temperatures in Denver in September; again 101 degrees on 9/5/2020 and 100 degrees on 9/2/2019.
Highlighting Denver’s propensity for rapidly changing weather, just three days after that 101 degree temperature, a strong cold front moved in and brought daily record cold temperatures, 31 degrees on 9/8/2020, to the city along with an early September snowfall, its second earliest.
Some other notable weather events occurred in Denver and surrounding areas during 2020. A rare derecho moved across much of Colorado on 06/06/2020 including Greater Denver. Winds speeds of 60 to 75 mph were common throughout the Greater Denver Area, and in fact a gust to 110 mph was recorded at the Winter Park Ski Area, 43 miles west-northwest on Denver.
A drought affected much of Colorado, especially as the year wore on. It, along with vast tracts of beetle-killed forest, helped allow the largest fire in recorded Colorado history to burn 208,913 acres. The Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County, some 75 miles northwest of Denver, burned from August 13 into early December of 2020. The second largest fire in recorded Colorado history started October 14, the latest start date of a large fire in Colorado, in Grand County. The fire, named the East Troublesome Fire, burned 193,812 acres, including a major run of over 87,000 acres in less than 24 hours starting the afternoon of October 21, crossing the Continental Divide and running into Rocky Mountain National Park the morning of October 22.
The lowest temperature in 2020 occurred twice. It was -5 set on 02/04/2020 and 02/05/2020. These were also the only two occurrences of temperatures zero degrees of colder for all of 2020. The highest temperature of the year was 101 degrees set on both 7/19/2020 and the aforementioned 9/5/2020.
The severe weather season for the Greater Denver area was fairly benign in 2020. Of the storms that were severe, strong winds were the main culprit. There were some occurrences of large hail, mainly in the 1.0-1.25 inch range, but there really wasn’t a significant hailstorm in 2020 across the Greater Denver area. There was no reported flash flooding. The “monsoon” rainy season, usually occurring from mid-July through late-August, was insignificant in 2020, which is part of the reason 2020 became the 9th driest year on record.
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
818 AM MST FRI JAN 01 2021
...THE DENVER CO CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2020...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1872 TO 2020
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 105 06/28/2018
06/26/2012
06/25/2012
LOW -29 01/09/1875
HIGHEST 101 09/05 64 37 101 07/19
LOWEST -5 02/05 36 -41 -11 02/07
02/04
AVG. MAXIMUM 67.1 64.7 2.4 63.3
AVG. MINIMUM 37.6 36.3 1.3 36.0
MEAN 52.3 50.5 1.8 49.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 75 39.6 35.4 48
DAYS MAX <= 32 24 20.0 4.0 35
DAYS MIN <= 32 162 156.9 5.1 170
DAYS MIN <= 0 2 5.8 -3.8 8
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 23.31 1967
MINIMUM 7.48 2002
TOTALS 8.74 14.30 -5.56 15.51
DAILY AVG. 0.02 0.03 -0.01 0.04
DAYS >= .01 70 79.7 -9.7 90
DAYS >= .10 27 34.9 -7.9 44
DAYS >= .50 3 7.6 -4.6 9
DAYS >= 1.00 0 2.3 -2.3 2
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.94 05/24 TO 05/24 1.10
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 115.9 1913
24 HR TOTAL 23.6 12/24/1982 TO 12/24/1982
TOTALS 45.6 53.8 68.9
SINCE 7/1 17.0 22.5
DAYS >= TRACE 49 33.3 63
DAYS >= 1.0 16 16.3 25
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 7 02/13 8 11/27
24 HR TOTAL 6.0 03/19 8.5 11/26
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 5689 6059 -370 6408
SINCE 7/1 2218 2469 -251 MM
COOLING TOTAL 1155 769 386 916
SINCE 1/1 1155 769 386 916
FREEZE DATES
RECORD
EARLIEST 09/08/1962
LATEST 06/08/2007
EARLIEST 09/08
LATEST 05/06
................................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 10.1
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 2/200
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 58/230 DATE 06/06
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 78/230 DATE 06/06
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.48
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 115
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 208
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 43
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 36 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 4 RAIN 15
LIGHT RAIN 52 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 1
HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 12
LIGHT SNOW 49 SLEET 0
FOG 73 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 20
HAZE 49
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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