https://www.boulderweather.com/tags/temperature/Recent content in Temperature on BoulderWeather.comHugo -- gohugo.ioenBoulderweather.comWed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.boulderweather.com/post/chinook-winds-boulder-colorado/Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.boulderweather.com/post/chinook-winds-boulder-colorado/ <h2 id="chinook-winds-along-the-front-range">Chinook Winds Along the Front Range</h2> <p><script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1012089347386563" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1012089347386563" data-ad-slot="1011306739" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> Chinook winds form when a Pacific air mass crosses the Continental Divide, loses most of its moisture on the western slope, then descends the eastern face of the Rockies and warms by compression at roughly 5.5°F per thousand feet of descent. For Boulder, sitting at the immediate base of the foothills near 5,430 ft, that descent is steep and short. The result is a downslope wind that can lift the city's temperature by 40°F to 60°F in less than 12 hours — and occasionally do it twice in the same week.</p>