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NOUS45 KBOU 160859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-162300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT THU APR 16 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
13-17 IN 2001...A HUGE DUST STORM OVER SOUTHERN AND INNER MONGOLIA
DURING APRIL 3RD THROUGH THE 6TH LIFTED DESERT DUST INTO
THE JET STREAM. THIS DUST CLOUD MOVED OVER METRO DENVER
ON THE 13TH AND PERSISTED THROUGH THE 17TH. THE CLOUD
CREATED WIDESPREAD HAZE...GIVING THE SKY A MILKISH CAST
DUE TO THE SCATTERING OF INCOMING SOLAR RADIATION.
15-16 IN 1900...FROM THE 15TH TO THE 16TH...HEAVY RAINFALL TOTALED
2.33 INCHES. A TRACE OF SNOW WAS MIXED WITH THE RAIN AT
TIMES.
IN 1950...FROM THE 15TH TO THE 16TH...THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY
RAIN BEHIND A COLD FRONT PRODUCED 2.13 INCHES OF RAIN IN
24 HOURS AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 2003...A FAST MOVING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM MOVED ACROSS
COLORADO ALLOWING STRONG WINDS TO DEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN
FOOTHILLS AND METRO DENVER FROM THE 15TH TO THE 16TH.
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 59 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT LATE IN THE EVENING OF THE 15TH.
IN 2016...1.22 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS MEASURED AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHICH WAS THE GREATEST DAILY AMOUNT
FOR THE MONTH.
IN 2020...A POTENT STORM SYSTEM DROPPED OUT OF THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES AND PRODUCED MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW OVER PORTIONS
OF THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND ADJACENT
PLAINS. THE HEAVIEST SNOW FELL IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS
NORTH OF I-70. IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...STORM
TOTALS INCLUDED: 30 INCHES NEAR JAMESTOWN...27 INCHES
NEAR NEDERLAND...22 INCHES NEAR ALLENSPARK...21 INCHES NEAR
ST MARY'S GLACIER...18 INCHES IN ESTES PARK...16 INCHES NEAR
CRESCENT VILLAGE AND DEER RIDGE...15.5 INCHES NEAR ASPEN
SPRINGS...AND 15 INCHES NEAR PINECLIFFE. IN BOULDER...16.9
INCHES OF SNOW HELPED TO ESTABLISH A NEW SEASONAL SNOWFALL
RECORD OF 151.2 INCHES. THE PREVIOUS SEASONAL SNOWFALL
RECORD IN BOULDER WAS 142.9 INCHES IN 1908-1909. ALONG
THE I-25 CORRIDOR...STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 14.5 INCHES IN
NIWOT...13.5 INCHES IN FREDERICK...13 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD...
12 INCHES IN LAFAYETTE AND NEAR LONGMONT...10.5 INCHES IN
ARVADA...10 INCHES IN ERIE...LOUISVILLE...AND WESTMINSTER...7
INCHES IN BRIGHTON...6.5 INCHES IN EDGEWATER AND
NORTHGLENN...AND 5.5 INCHES IN GREELEY. SNOWFALL TOTALED
1.9 INCHES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2021...A STORM SYSTEM PRODUCED BANDS OF HEAVY SNOW IN
AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. STORM TOTALS INCLUDED:
13.8 INCHES AT ST. MARY'S GLACIER...12.9 INCHES AT ASPEN
PARK...10 INCHES IN GENESEE...9.5 INCHES AT KEN CARYL...9
INCHES IN CRESCENT VILLAGE...8.5 INCHES IN ARVADA AND
WESTMINSTER...8 INCHES AT EVERGREEN AND SEDALIA...WITH
3 TO 7 INCHES ELSEWHERE. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...
5.7 INCHES INCHES OF SNOWFALL WAS OBSERVED.
15-17 IN 1922...FROM THE 15TH TO THE 17TH...HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED
9.0 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW...6.0 INCHES...
FELL ON THE 16TH. THIS WAS THE THIRD MAJOR SNOWSTORM IN A
WEEK. NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 43 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 47 MPH ON THE 15TH.
IN 2016...A POWERFUL SPRING SNOWSTORM BROUGHT HEAVY...WET SNOW
TO AREAS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER
DIVIDE. STORM TOTALS GENERALLY RANGED FROM 2 TO 4 FEET IN
THE FOOTHILLS WITH 1 TO 2 FEET IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST OF
DENVER AND ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE. ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR
STORM TOTALS RANGED FROM 6 TO 20 INCHES...WITH HIGHEST
AMOUNTS ACROSS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN SUBURBS. SOME OF
THOSE TOTALS INCLUDED: 16 INCHES IN AURORA AND SUPERIOR...15
INCHES AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BOULDER...
14.5 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD...13.5 INCHES IN WESTMINSTER...
OFFICIALLY 12.1 INCHES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...12
INCHES IN LOUISVILLE...11.5 INCHES IN ARVADA...11 INCHES NEAR
ENGLEWOOD...AND 10.5 INCHES NEAR WHEAT RIDGE. AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...THERE WERE 852 FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS...
MOST OF WHICH OCCURRED ON THE 16TH. THE HEAVY WET SNOWFALL
BROKE TREES LIMBS AND CAUSED SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. OVER
FIVE THOUSAND CUSTOMERS WERE WITHOUT POWER ON THE 16TH...AND
OVER TWO THOUSAND ON THE 17TH. XCEL ENERGY BROUGHT IN EXTRA
CREWS FROM SURROUNDING STATES TO HELP RESTORE POWER AND
MINIMIZE OUTAGE TIMES THROUGH THE STORM. NUMEROUS BUT MOSTLY
TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES FROM 1 TO 5 HOURS OCCURRED THROUGHOUT
THE STORM. THIS INCLUDED PORTIONS OF I-70 EAST AND WEST OF
DENVER...HIGHWAY 103 FROM IDAHO SPRINGS TO EVERGREEN AND
HIGHWAY 119 THROUGH BLACK HAWK.
16 IN 1960...A WIND STORM STRUCK ALL OF METRO DENVER. ESTIMATED
WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH WERE REGISTERED IN BOULDER. AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT SUSTAINED WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS OVER
50 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 70 MPH PRODUCED SOME BLOWING
DUST. THE HIGH WINDS DAMAGED BUILDINGS...POWER AND TELEPHONE
LINES...AND SIGNS. FIVE PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN METRO DENVER
AS A RESULT OF THE WIND STORM. BLOWING DUST REDUCED
VISIBILITY AT TIMES. THE WINDS WERE STRONG AND GUSTY FOR
MOST OF THE DAY.
16-17 IN 1944...FROM THE 16TH TO THE 17TH...HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED
7.5 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN DENVER. NORTHWEST WINDS WERE
SUSTAINED TO 18 MPH ON THE 16TH.
16-18 IN 2009...FROM THE 16TH TO THE 18TH...A POTENT SPRING STORM
BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW TO LOCATIONS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS. A DEEP EASTERLY UPSLOPE PRODUCED NEARLY 5 FEET
OF SNOW IN PARTS OF THE FOOTHILLS. THE HEAVY SNOW RESULTED
IN THE CLOSURE OF INTERSTATE 70...FROM GOLDEN WEST TO VAIL...
FOR APPROXIMATELY 16 HOURS. THE HEAVY SNOW SNAPPED POWER
LINES IN EVERGREEN AND NEDERLAND. THE ENSUING OUTAGES
AFFECTED 14200 RESIDENTS. IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...
STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 56 INCHES...3 MILES SOUTH OF
ROLLINSVILLE; 54 INCHES...3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PINECLIFFE;
43 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...42 INCHES AT EVERGREEN...38
INCHES NEAR CONIFER...37 INCHES AT ST. MARY'S GLACIER...AND
34 INCHES NEAR NEDERLAND. ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR AND
PALMER DIVIDE...THE HEAVIEST SNOW OCCURRED ABOVE 5500 FEET
ON THE 17TH. STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 22 INCHES...8.5 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF FRANKTOWN; 18 INCHES...10 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST
OF BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE; 17 INCHES NEAR CHERRY CREEK AND
7 MILES SOUTH OF SEDALIA...16 INCHES...6.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
CASTLE ROCK; 15 INCHES NEAR BEVERLY HILLS...12 INCHES NEAR
HIGHLANDS RANCH AND LAFAYETTE...WITH 11 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD.
ELSEWHERE STORM TOTALS RANGED FROM 4 TO 10 INCHES.
ONLY 2.6 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. THE 24-HR PRECIPITATION FOR THE DAY HOWEVER WAS
1.16 INCHES...WHICH ESTABLISHED A NEW RECORD FOR APRIL 17TH.
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