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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT FRI OCT 16 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
13-16 IN 1873...THE 13TH THROUGH THE 16TH...SMOKE FROM SEVERAL LARGE
FOREST FIRES IN THE MOUNTAINS MADE THE AIR VERY HAZY IN THE
CITY.
15-16 IN 1928...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED HAIL SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT
ON THE 15TH. RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW BY EVENING. THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON OF THE 16TH...THE HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.3 INCHES
IN THE CITY. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 23 MPH ON THE
15TH.
IN 1984...THE HEAVIEST OCTOBER SNOWSTORM IN SEVERAL YEARS HIT
EASTERN COLORADO WITH A VENGEANCE. THE STORM WAS KNOWN AS
THE "BRONCO BLIZZARD" SINCE IT OCCURRED DURING A NATIONALLY
TELEVISED MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME IN DENVER; THEY HELD
ON AND DEFEAT GREEN BAY BY A SCORE OF 17-14. ONE TO TWO
FEET OF SNOW FELL NEAR THE FOOTHILLS IN WEST METRO DENVER
WITH 2 TO 3 FEET IN THE FOOTHILLS. WIND GUSTS UP TO
55 MPH WHIPPED THE SNOW INTO DRIFTS AS HIGH AS 4 FEET.
THE STORM CLOSED SCHOOLS...ROADS...AND AIRPORTS. I-70
WAS CLOSED BOTH EAST AND WEST OF DENVER. I-25 WAS CLOSED
SOUTH TO COLORADO SPRINGS. FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED FOR
SEVERAL HOURS AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. POWER
OUTAGES WERE WIDESPREAD. SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.2 INCHES AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTING
AS HIGH AS 40 MPH CAUSED FREQUENT SURFACE VISIBILITIES OF
1/4 TO 1/2 MILE IN MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
OVERNIGHT. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 35 DEGREES ON THE
15TH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
15-17 IN 1989...THE 15TH TO THE 17TH...AN AUTUMN SNOWSTORM HIT METRO
DENVER WITH 2 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW. SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.4
INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE THE
MAXIMUM SNOW DEPTH ON THE GROUND WAS ONLY 3 INCHES DUE TO
MELTING AND NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 25 MPH ON THE 15TH. THE
HEAVY WET SNOW CAUSED LEAFY BRANCHES TO SAG ONTO POWER
LINES...RESULTING IN A NUMBER OF POWER OUTAGES. FIVE
THOUSAND HOMES WERE BLACKED OUT IN BOULDER ON THE 16TH.
UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW FELL IN THE HIGHER FOOTHILLS WITH 19
INCHES RECORDED AT ECHO LAKE.
16 IN 1878...HIGH WINDS REACHED SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 60 MPH.
IN 1998...ONE OF THE COSTLIEST HAIL STORMS TO EVER HIT METRO
DENVER CAUSED AN ESTIMATED TOTAL OF 87.8 MILLION DOLLARS IN
DAMAGE TO HOMES...COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS...AND MOTOR VEHICLES.
AT THE TIME THE STORM WAS RANKED AS THE 7TH COSTLIEST EVER.
THE HAILSTORM...RARE FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON...BEGAN OVER
PORTIONS OF ARVADA...WHEAT RIDGE...AND NORTHWEST DENVER
WHERE MOSTLY PEA SIZED HAIL ACCUMULATED UP TO A DEPTH OF
6 INCHES NEAR I-70. SEVERAL ACCIDENTS WERE ATTRIBUTED...
AT LEAST IN PART...TO THE HAILSTORM. SNOWPLOWS HAD TO BE
CALLED OUT TO CLEAR SEVERAL CITY STREETS. THE STORM
INTENSIFIED AS IT MOVED TO THE EAST...INTO THE DENVER AND
AURORA AREAS. LARGE HAIL...UP TO 2.00 INCHES IN DIAMETER
POUNDED EAST AND SOUTHEAST METRO DENVER. TWO INCH DIAMETER
HAIL FELL IN THE CITY OF DENVER AND AT BUCKLEY FIELD. HAIL
AS LARGE AS 1 1/2 INCHES WAS MEASURED IN SOUTH DENVER WITH
1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN NORTHERN AURORA.
IN 1999...UPSLOPE CONDITIONS PRODUCED SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER
WITH HEAVY AMOUNTS IN THE NEARBY FOOTHILLS. SNOWFALL TOTALS
INCLUDED: 9 INCHES AT ELDORADO SPRINGS; 8 INCHES AT GENESEE...
GOLDEN GATE CANYON...LITTLETON AND NEAR MORRISON; 7 INCHES
NEAR NEDERLAND; AND 6 INCHES IN LOUISVILLE. SNOWFALL
TOTALED 3.6 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
16-17 IN 1990...STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS RAKED THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS.
WIND GUSTS FROM 60 TO 75 MPH WERE COMMON. STRONG WINDS IN
METRO DENVER RESULTED IN WAVE DAMAGE TO A DOCK USED TO MOOR
SEVERAL PRIVATE SAIL BOATS AT CHERRY CREEK RESERVOIR.
DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE DOCK AND TWO ANCHOR CABLES.
A NORTHWEST WIND GUST TO 43 MPH WAS RECORDED AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
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