Aspen History: Winter of 1939 … brrr

“Mercury hit 21 below zero Friday morning to set new cold mark for this winter,” stated the Aspen Times on February 16, 1939. “Old King Winter gave Aspenites another haymaker last Friday morning as thermometers in the community hit new low marks for this winter. The official reading on the government gauge was 31 degrees below zero. Since that reading temperatures have ranged from three above to 10 below during the early morning hours. Snowfall in the past week has boosted the year’s total to 136.5 inches, as of Wednesday morning, and another heavy storm is anticipated. The barometer at the Roaring Fork Water, Light and Power office touched an all-time low point Tuesday, forecasting a protracted storm during the latter part of this week. Severe storms have been general throughout the mountain regions.”