653
NOUS45 KBOU 170859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-172300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT TUE MAR 17 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
9-19 IN 1906...AN EXTENDED COLD AND BLUSTERY PERIOD OCCURRED WITH
LIGHT SNOW TOTALING 14.4 INCHES OVER 11 CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF SNOW ON A SINGLE DAY WAS 4.0 INCHES
ON THE 15TH. ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL ON THE 12TH AND 17TH.
HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE BELOW FREEZING FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD.
THE COLDEST WERE 14 DEGREES ON THE 16TH AND 18 DEGREES ON THE
17TH. BOTH READINGS WERE RECORD LOW MAXIMUMS FOR THE DATES.
LOW TEMPERATURES WERE MOSTLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. THE
COLDEST WERE 2 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 16TH AND 5 DEGREES
BELOW ZERO ON THE 19TH. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO
22 MPH ON THE 9TH. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 36 MPH ON
THE 10TH...32 MPH ON THE 13TH...AND 22 MPH ON THE 15TH.
17 IN 1966...HIGH WINDS CAUSED EXTENSIVE MINOR DAMAGE ACROSS
METRO DENVER. A LIGHT PLANE WAS OVERTURNED AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHWEST WIND GUSTS TO 55
MPH WERE RECORDED. WINDS GUSTED TO 56 MPH AT TABLE MESA
IN BOULDER
IN 1989...STRONG WINDS RAKED METRO DENVER. WEST WIND
GUSTS TO 49 MPH WERE CLOCKED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT.
IN 2003...THE FIRST TORNADO OF THE SEASON WAS SIGHTED NEAR
STRASBURG. THE SMALL LANDSPOUT TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY...BUT
CAUSED NO DAMAGE.
17-18 IN 1923...4.2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER.
NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 49 ON THE 17TH. LOW TEMPERATURE OF ZERO DEGREES
ON THE 18TH WAS THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH THAT YEAR.
IN 1944...HEAVY SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER. THE STORM
STARTED AS RAIN ON THE 17TH...BUT SOON TURNED TO SNOW.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TOTALED 8.5 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER AND
11.0 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT. THE HIGHEST WIND
RECORDED DURING THE STORM WAS 23 MPH ON THE 17TH.
IN 1961...A MAJOR WINTER STORM DUMPED 10.7 INCHES OF SNOW AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT. MOST OF THE SNOW...9.7 INCHES...FELL
ON THE 18TH. WINDS WERE LIGHT.
IN 1994...STRONG WINDS BUFFETED METRO DENVER. WEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 51 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE
17TH. OTHER SIGNIFICANT WIND GUSTS INCLUDED 85 MPH ATOP
SQUAW MOUNTAIN SOUTH OF IDAHO SPRINGS...AND 82 MPH AT
ROLLINSVILLE SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER...BOTH ON THE 18TH.
IN 1996...A SECOND STORM IN LESS THAN 3 DAYS DUMPED HEAVY
SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS AGAIN...BUT SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS ACROSS METRO DENVER RANGED FROM ONLY 2 TO 4 INCHES.
THE HEAVY SNOWFALL RESULTED IN SEVERAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
ALONG I-25 AND I-70...SOUTH AND WEST OF DENVER RESPECTIVELY.
THE MAJOR ACCIDENTS INVOLVED AT LEAST 30 CARS AND RESULTED
IN SEVERAL MINOR INJURIES. THE ACCIDENTS CLOSED BOTH
HIGHWAYS FOR A TIME. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED 13 INCHES
AT EVERGREEN AND 10 INCHES AT CONIFER. SNOWFALL TOTALED
ONLY 0.7 INCH AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...
NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 28 MPH ON THE 17TH AND 39 MPH ON
THE 18TH.
IN 2016...A COMBINATION OF ENHANCED BANDING ASSOCIATED WITH
A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM...AND LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE
FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT...PRODUCED HEAVY
SNOWFALL IN NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS IN AND NEAR
THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER COUNTY. STORM TOTALS INCLUDED:
19.5 INCHES NEAR WARD...16 INCHES NEAR ALLENSPARK...13.5
INCHES NEAR ELDORADO SPRINGS; 13 INCHES AT THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BOULDER AND 5 MILES EAST OF
BOULDER; 12.5 INCHES AT WINTER PARK SKI RESORT...12
INCHES AT ELDORA SKI AREA; 11 INCHES...7 MILES SOUTH OF
LYONS AND AT ROLLINSVILLE; 10.5 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...
AND 9.5 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK. IN DENVER AND THE
SURROUNDING SUBURBS...STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 8.5 INCHES
IN BROOMFIELD...LAFAYETTE AND 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF
WESTMINSTER; 7 INCHES NEAR NORTHGLENN...6.5 INCHES IN
THORNTON AND NORTHWEST DENVER; WITH 6 INCHES AT
FIRESTONE. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...AN OFFICIAL
MEASUREMENT OF 4.7 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED.
17-19 IN 1933...RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW ON THE EVENING OF THE 17TH
AND CONTINUED THROUGH MID-DAY OF THE 19TH. SNOWFALL
TOTALED 5.6 INCHES WITH 0.83 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN
IN THE CITY. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 38 MPH WITH
GUSTS TO 46 MPH ON THE 18TH AND TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
43 MPH ON THE 19TH.
IN 2003...ONE OF THE WORST BLIZZARDS SINCE HISTORIC RECORDS
BEGAN IN 1872 STRUCK METRO DENVER WITH A VENGEANCE. HEAVY
WET SNOW ACCUMULATING TO AROUND 3 FEET IN THE CITY AND TO
MORE THAN 7 FEET IN THE FOOTHILLS BROUGHT TRANSPORTATION
TO A NEAR STANDSTILL. NORTH WINDS SUSTAINED TO 30 MPH WITH
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 41 MPH PRODUCED DRIFTS TO 6 FEET IN THE
CITY. THE ESTIMATED COST OF PROPERTY DAMAGE ALONE...NOT
INCLUDING LARGE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS...WAS 93 MILLION DOLLARS...
MAKING IT THE COSTLIEST SNOWSTORM EVER. MAYOR WELLINGTON
WEBB OF DENVER SAID..."THIS IS THE STORM OF THE CENTURY...A
BACKBREAKER...A RECORD BREAKER...A ROOF BREAKER." TWO PEOPLE
DIED IN AURORA FROM HEART ATTACKS AFTER SHOVELING THE HEAVY
WET SNOW. THE NATIONAL GUARD SENT 40 SOLDIERS AND 20 HEAVY
DUTY VEHICLES TO RESCUE STRANDED TRAVELERS ALONG I-70 EAST
OF GUN CLUB ROAD. THE HEAVY WET SNOW CAUSED ROOFS OF HOMES
AND BUSINESSES TO COLLAPSE. THE SNOW ALSO DOWNED TREES...
BRANCHES...AND POWER LINES. TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED WHEN THE
ROOFS OF THEIR HOMES COLLAPSED. IN DENVER ALONE...AT LEAST
258 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED. IN ARVADA...A ROOF COLLAPSE AT
WEST GATE STABLES KILLED A HORSE. UP TO 135 THOUSAND PEOPLE
LOST POWER DURING THE STORM...AND IT TOOK SEVERAL DAYS FOR
POWER TO BE RESTORED IN SOME AREAS. DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WAS CLOSED...STRANDING ABOUT 4000 TRAVELERS. THE
WEIGHT OF THE HEAVY SNOW CAUSED A 40-FOOT GASH IN A PORTION
OF THE TENT ROOF...FORCING THE EVACUATION OF THAT SECTION OF
THE MAIN TERMINAL BUILDING. AVALANCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS CLOSED MANY ROADS...INCLUDING I-70...STRANDING
HUNDREDS OF SKIERS AND TRAVELERS. ALONG I-70...AN AVALANCHE
RELEASED BY THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION...BLOCKED
THE INTERSTATE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. SEVERAL
RESIDENCES BETWEEN BAKERVILLE AND SILVER PLUME WERE EVACUATED
BECAUSE OF THE HIGH AVALANCHE DANGER. AT ELDORA SKI AREA...270
SKIERS WERE STRANDED WHEN AN AVALANCHE CLOSED THE MAIN ACCESS
ROAD. AFTER THE STORM ENDED...A MILITARY HELICOPTER HAD TO
FERRY FOOD TO THE RESORT UNTIL THE ROAD COULD BE CLEARED. THE
HEAVY SNOW TRAPPED THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS IN THEIR FOOTHILLS
HOMES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. TWO HOMES BURNED
TO THE GROUND WHEN FIRE CREWS COULD NOT REACH THE RESIDENCES.
SOME SCHOOLS REMAINED CLOSED WELL INTO THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
THE STORM OFFICIALLY DUMPED 31.8 INCHES OF SNOW AT THE SITE OF
THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...THE MOST SNOWFALL
FROM A SINGLE STORM SINCE THE ALL-TIME RECORD SNOWFALL OF 37.5
INCHES ON DECEMBER 4-5...1913. THE STORM MADE MARCH 2003 THE
SNOWIEST MARCH ON RECORD...THE 4TH SNOWIEST MONTH ON RECORD...
AND THE 5TH WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD. THE 22.9 INCHES OF SNOW
ON THE 18TH INTO THE 19TH WAS THE GREATEST 24 HOUR SNOWFALL
EVER RECORDED IN THE CITY DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. THE
STORM WAS ALSO A DROUGHT-BUSTER...BREAKING 19 CONSECUTIVE
MONTHS OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION IN THE CITY. SNOWFALL
ACROSS METRO DENVER RANGED FROM 2 FEET TO MORE THAN 3 FEET.
THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS INCLUDED: 40 INCHES IN AURORA...38 INCHES
IN CENTENNIAL AND 6 MILES EAST OF PARKER...37 INCHES AT BUCKLEY
AFB...35 INCHES IN SOUTHWEST DENVER...34 INCHES IN LOUISVILLE...
32 INCHES IN ARVADA...31 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD AND WESTMINSTER...
AND 22.5 INCHES IN BOULDER. IN THE FOOTHILLS...SNOWFALL RANGED
FROM 3 FEET TO MORE THAN 7 FEET. SOME OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 87.5 INCHES ATOP FRITZ PEAK AND IN
ROLLINSVILLE...83 INCHES AT CABIN CREEK...74 INCHES NEAR BERGEN
PARK...73 INCHES NORTHWEST OF EVERGREEN...72 INCHES IN COAL CREEK
CANYON...70 INCHES AT GEORGETOWN...63 INCHES NEAR JAMESTOWN...60
INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK...55 INCHES AT ELDORA SKI AREA...54 INCHES
8 MILES WEST OF SEDALIA...AND 46.6 INCHES AT KEN CARYL RANCH.
THE STORM WAS THE RESULT OF A VERY MOIST...INTENSE SLOW MOVING
PACIFIC SYSTEM WHICH TRACKED ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS AND INTO
SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO...WHICH ALLOWED DEEP EASTERLY UPSLOPE
FLOW TO FORM ALONG THE FRONT RANGE.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page