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NOUS45 KBOU 240859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-242300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT TUE MAR 24 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
22-24 IN 1965...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT SWEPT ACROSS METRO DENVER
LATE ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 22ND WITH EAST-NORTHEAST
WINDS GUSTING TO 38 MPH CAUSING SOME BLOWING DUST.
SNOWFALL FROM THE STORM TOTALED 4.4 INCHES AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. TEMPERATURES ON THE 22ND DROPPED
FROM A MAXIMUM OF 63 DEGREES TO 18 DEGREES IN JUST 10 HOURS
AND DIPPED TO 3 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE MORNING OF THE
24TH. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WARMED TO ONLY 19 DEGREES ON
THE 23RD AND 18 DEGREES ON THE 24TH.
23-24 IN 1909...POST-FRONTAL RAIN ON THE 23RD CHANGED TO HEAVY SNOW
DURING THE EVENING AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE MORNING OF THE
24TH. SNOWFALL TOTALED 13.8 INCHES. RAIN AND MELTED SNOW...
TOTALED 2.43 INCHES...WHICH WAS THE RECORD GREATEST 24 HOUR
PRECIPITATION EVER RECORDED IN MARCH AT THAT TIME. A
THUNDERSTORM OF MODERATE INTENSITY OCCURRED ON THE 23RD IN
ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO
27 MPH OVERNIGHT.
IN 1990...SEVERAL HOURS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE COVERED ROADWAYS
WITH A THIN LAYER OF "BLACK ICE" WHICH CAUSED NEARLY 100
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ACROSS METRO DENVER. IN BOULDER...SNOW
AND FREEZING RAIN CAUSED NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS AND BRIEF POWER
OUTAGES. SNOW IN BOULDER RANGED FROM AN INCH EAST OF TOWN
TO 4 TO 5 INCHES NEAR TABLE MESA. AT TIMES THUNDER WAS
HEARD DURING THE SNOW. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 0.6 INCH
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 30 MPH ON THE 23RD.
IN 1995...HIGH WINDS DEVELOPED LATE ON THE 23RD AND CONTINUED
THROUGH THE 24TH. A FEW WINDOWS WERE BLOWN OUT OF A DENVER
HIGH RISE BUILDING...SPRAYING GLASS ON THE SIDEWALKS AND
STREETS BELOW. SOUTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 48 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 23RD.
IN 1996...THE THIRD STORM IN 10 DAYS BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW TO
THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS...AND METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL
TOTALED 18 INCHES AT GOLDEN GATE CANYON AND 10 INCHES
AT NEDERLAND IN THE FOOTHILLS. ACROSS METRO DENVER...
SNOWFALL RANGED FROM 4 TO 8 INCHES. AT THE SITE OF THE
FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SNOWFALL TOTALED
6.5 INCHES WITH MOST OF THE SNOW OCCURRING ON THE 24TH.
NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 34 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. AS THE STORM MOVED EAST ON THE 24TH AND 25TH...
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
CLOSING BOTH I-70 AND I-76 EAST OF DENVER.
IN 2010...A POWERFUL SPRING SNOWSTORM SWEPT ACROSS NORTHERN
COLORADO. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRED IN AND NEAR THE
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND DEEP UPSLOPE DEVELOPED. THE
HEAVY...WET SNOW CLUNG TO TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES...WHICH
CAUSED 36500 ELECTRICAL OUTAGES THROUGHOUT DENVER AND THE
SURROUNDING METRO AREA. POWER OUTAGES ALSO OCCURRED IN
DOUGLAS AND ELBERT COUNTIES. IN ADDITION...APPROXIMATELY
5 THOUSAND TRAVELERS WERE STRANDED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT DUE TO FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS. INITIALLY...
THE SNOW FELL AT A RATE OF 2 TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR...BETWEEN
BOULDER AND DENVER...BRINGING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR TO A
COMPLETE HALT. COUNTLESS MOTORISTS WERE STUCK ON U.S.
HIGHWAY 36 FOR SEVERAL HOURS. OTHER ROAD CLOSURES
INCLUDED I-70...FROM IDAHO SPRINGS TO GENESEE AND I-25 IN
BOTH DIRECTIONS...FROM LINCOLN AVENUE SOUTH TO GREENLAND...
OR ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF CASTLE ROCK. IN AND NEAR THE
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER RIDGE...STORM TOTALS
INCLUDED: 26 INCHES AT COAL CREEK CANYON...23.5 INCHES...3
MILES SOUTH OF EVERGREEN; 22 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...13
MILES NORTHWEST OF GOLDEN AND 3 MILES WEST OF JAMESTOWN;
21.5 INCHES...3 MILES NORTH OF BLACKHAWK...20 INCHES AT
GENESEE; 16 INCHES NEAR NEDERLAND; 14 INCHES NEAR
ELIZABETH AND STRONTIA SPRINGS DAM; 13 INCHES AT BERGEN
PARK AND 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF INDIAN HILLS; 12.5 INCHES...
3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CONIFER; 11.5 INCHES AT ST. MARY'S
GLACIER. IN DENVER AND THE SURROUNDING SUBURBS...STORM
TOTALS INCLUDED: 15 INCHES AT LONE TREE; 14 INCHES NEAR
HIGHLANDS RANCH; 13 INCHES NEAR LOUISVILLE...12.5 INCHES
AT AURORA...COMMERCE CITY...ENGLEWOOD AND 5 MILES WEST OF
LITTLETON; 12 INCHES AT ERIE AND GREENWOOD VILLAGE; 11
INCHES AT RALSTON RESERVOIR AND WESTMINSTER; 10.5 INCHES
AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BOULDER...10 INCHES...
4 MILES NORTHEAST OF CASTLE ROCK...FREDRICK...LAKEWOOD...3
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MORRISON AND 4 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF WATKINS; 9.5 INCHES...3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DENVER; 9
INCHES IN BROOMFIELD...LAFAYETTE...NORTHGLENN AND THORNTON;
8.5 INCHES NEAR FEDERAL HEIGHTS; 8 INCHES IN ARVADA...
BRIGHTON AND WHEAT RIDGE; 6 INCHES...5 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF HUDSON. OFFICIALLY...10.8 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED
AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
23-25 IN 1891...RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW AND TOTALED 8.8 INCHES IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER. MOST OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 24TH.
WINDS WERE LIGHT.
IN 1964...HEAVY SNOWFALL OF 5.8 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS
GUSTED TO 21 MPH BEHIND A COLD FRONT.
24 IN 1909...A MAJOR WINTER STORM DUMPED 13.8 INCHES OF SNOW OVER
DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1915...A COLD FRONT PRODUCED POST-FRONTAL WINDS TO 41 MPH.
IN 1919...SOME UNUSUALLY SOFT BUT RATHER LARGE HAIL FELL WITH
THE BEGINNING OF PRECIPITATION FROM THE FIRST THUNDERSTORM
OF THE SEASON EARLY IN THE EVENING. ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN
WAS OBSERVED.
IN 1937...A LIGHT TO MODERATE DUST STORM BEGAN AT 1:30 PM AND
CONTINUED UNTIL 8:30 PM. THE STORM REDUCED THE VISIBILITY
TO 3/4 MILE AT TIMES. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO
29 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 34 MPH.
IN 1970...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT PRODUCED A NORTHEAST WIND GUST
TO 60 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE 3.2
INCHES OF SNOW FELL FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE
STRONG WINDS CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE FROM DENVER NORTHWARD...AND
BILLOWS OF BLOWING DUST REDUCED VISIBILITY AT TIMES.
FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT...THE TEMPERATURE
DROPPED 25 DEGREES IN AN HOUR FROM 65 TO 40 DEGREES.
IN 1982...A STRONG COLD FRONT ROARED ACROSS METRO DENVER.
NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 48 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. THE STRONG WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT CREATED A HUGE
CLOUD OF DUST AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND FEET HIGH...WHICH BRIEFLY
REDUCED VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE MILE.
IN 1987...NEAR-BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
CLOSED BOTH I-70 AND I-76 EAST OF DENVER. WHILE ONLY A
TRACE OF SNOW FELL IN DENVER...NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 37
MPH.
IN 1997...AN EARLY SPRING STORM BROUGHT SNOW TO METRO DENVER.
THE HEAVIEST SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE PALMER
DIVIDE. SNOWFALL AT CONIFER TOTALED 5 INCHES. A WOMAN WAS
KILLED WHEN SHE LOST CONTROL OF HER VEHICLE ON SNOW PACKED
AND SLICK ROADS NEAR CASTLE ROCK. SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY
1.3 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 46 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
24-25 IN 1904...WEST BORA WINDS SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
55 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 49 DEGREES ON
THE 24TH. OVERNIGHT...A COLD FRONT PRODUCED 4.5 INCHES OF
SNOW. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS ONLY 34 DEGREES ON THE 25TH.
IN 1955...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT WITH WINDS SUSTAINED TO
34 MPH AND GUSTS TO 39 MPH BRIEFLY REDUCED THE VISIBILITY
TO 2 MILES IN BLOWING DUST AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
POST-FRONTAL HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 9.5 INCHES AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE THE MAXIMUM SNOW DEPTH ON THE
GROUND WAS 7 INCHES.
24-26 IN 1959...THE SECOND MAJOR SPRING STORM IN LESS THAN A WEEK
DUMPED 10 TO 20 INCHES OF WET SNOW ACROSS NORTHEASTERN
COLORADO. SNOWFALL TOTALED 14.3 INCHES AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 36 MPH...CAUSING NEAR-
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH VISIBILITIES FREQUENTLY REDUCED TO
1/2 MILE IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. MANY TRAVELERS WERE
MAROONED WHEN TRAINS...PLANES...AND BUSES WERE UNABLE TO MAKE
THEIR SCHEDULES. UTILITY LINES WERE AGAIN DAMAGED AS A
RESULT OF THE STORM.
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