DENVER (KDVR) – Colorado’s hot Labor Day weekend plummeted 50 degrees in 12 hours, dusting the city with snow and a spate of weather records.
This marks a milestone for the Mile High City as the shortest time between 100° and snowfall. In only three days, Denver moved from a record-setting late 101 degree day to its first snow, almost matching the national record from Rapid City, S.D.
The September snow set a record for 28 different sites, including Denver International Airport, Boulder, and Fort Collins.
Colorado sees abrupt temperature changes often, so the 50-degree drop itself did not set a new record for quickest drop in a single day.
It did, however, set new records as temperatures continued to trend downward. For the month of September, we’ve set the largest two-day drop at 62°, largest three-day drop at 66°, largest four-day drop at 70°, and largest five-day drop at 71°.
For any month, we’ve set the 10th largest two-day drop, 15th largest three-day drop, 13th largest four-day drop, and 12th largest five-day drop.
Colder months still hold higher records for plummeting temperatures.
February 2020 dropped 79° in three days, the second greatest drop in a three-day period, while the Labor Day event dropped 66°. October 2019 dropped 70° in two days, the second greatest drop in a two-day period, while this event dropped 62°.