Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br />Figure 2S. Time series plots of surface wind (in knots), altimeter setting (inches 01 mercury), and <br />temperature and dewpoint temperature (OF) as recorded at Stapleton International Airport, <br />Denver, Colorado. Time covered is Irom 2200 GMT, 31 July 1976 to 0500 GMT, 1 August 1976. <br /> <br />southerly. The trailing frnnt passed both <br />Stapleton (Fig. 28) and Table Mountain <br />(Fig. 29) at about 2330 GNIT. At both of <br />these sites, the passage was accompanied <br />bv a si~nificant increase in easterly or <br />s()Uthea~terly winck Dewpoint tempem- <br />tures increased 100_130F (5.50_ioC) and <br />temperatures dropped 100_120F (5.50_ <br />6,50G) in a 30 min period. <br />Prior to 2,330 GNIT a large thun- <br />derstorm had developed along the higher <br />terrain southeast of Denver as the trailing <br />front moved into this region. This storm <br />moved northwestward and merged with <br />cells that formed between 2330-0000 GMT <br />ahead of the front in the region west of <br />Denver. The resulting arc of echoes (see <br />Fig, 31) moved into the Boulder area <br />around 00,30 GNIT. <br />A gust front and clouds of blowing dust <br />were associated with this line of thunder- <br />showers. A strong cell moved across Rocky <br />Flats. and the time series (Fig. 30) shows <br />that wind gusts to 41 kt (21 m S-I) occurred <br />about 0015 GMT just ahead of a brief, but <br /> <br />34 <br /> <br />heavy rainshower. Temperature and dew- <br />point temperature changes comparable <br />to those at Stapleton and Table Mountain <br />also occurred. It is difficult to determine <br />whether these changes were caused by <br />passage of the trailing frnnt or by the line of <br />thundershowers. <br />Evewitness accounts and the 0000 <br />GMT Denver rawinsonde dala indicated <br />that the clouds that formed ahead of the <br />trailing front had higher bases than the <br />storms that developed along the foothills to <br />the north. Between 0030 and 0100 GMT <br />pressure rises of about 1 mb were observed <br />at Rocky Flats and Boulder. These pres- <br />sure changes were accomp<mied by a wind <br />shift to the southwest. Evidently, rain <br />showers and evaporative cooling i~ drier <br />air along the foothills between Boulder and <br />Golden had produced a small meso-high <br />pressure area. The winds at both Boulder <br />and Rocky Flats remained light southerly <br />to westerly until about 0400 GNIT. <br />That portion of the arc of echoes east of <br />Boulder dissipated rapidly after 0030 GMT <br />