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Cold/Wind ChillDenver Metropolitan Area, Colorado

December 18, 1998 · NOAA Storm Events record

Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
15
Property damage
Area
Denver Metropolitan Area

Event narrative (NOAA)

An Arctic airmass settled in over northeastern Colorado dropping overnight temperatures well below zero for 6 consecutive days. Overnight temperatures bottomed out at 19 degrees below zero on the morning of the 22nd. At least 15 people, mostly homeless, were treated for hypothermia at area hospitals. The bitter cold weather was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for at least 5 fatalities. Three of the victims died directly from exposure. The cold weather also caused intermittent power outages. Following the cold snap, thawing water pipes cracked and burst in several homes and business causing extensive damage. No estimate of the damage, however, was available.

Other notable cold/wind chill events in Colorado

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.

Cold/Wind Chill — Denver Metropolitan Area, Colorado, December 18, 1998 | DisasterAtlasUSA