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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT WED APR 22 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
19-22 IN 1933...A MAJOR STORM DUMPED 16.8 INCHES OF SNOWFALL OVER
DOWNTOWN DENVER WHEN RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW DURING THE EARLY
MORNING OF THE 20TH AND CONTINUED THROUGH MIDDAY OF THE
22ND. MOST OF THE SNOW FELL ON THE 21ST. DUE TO MELTING...
THE MOST SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS 10.5 INCHES AT 6:00 PM ON THE
21ST. BEFORE THE SNOW STARTED...A STRONG COLD FRONT ON THE
EVENING OF THE 19TH PRODUCED NORTH WINDS SUSTAINED TO 35 MPH
WITH GUSTS TO 37 MPH. THE STRONG WINDS DEPOSITED A THIN
LAYER OF DUST ON THE CITY. NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WERE
SUSTAINED TO 31 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH ON THE 20TH AND TO
29 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 32 MPH ON THE 21ST.
20-22 IN 1957...STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS RAKED
METRO DENVER EACH DAY. THE STRONGEST WIND GUST OF 55 MPH
OCCURRED ON THE 21ST WHEN BLOWING DUST BRIEFLY REDUCED THE
VISIBILITY TO 3/4 MILE AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
20-23 IN 1989...UNUSUALLY WARM WEATHER RESULTED IN SEVERAL DAILY
TEMPERATURE RECORDS BEING BROKEN IN DENVER. THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 89 DEGREES ON THE 21ST EXCEEDED THE RECORD
MAXIMUM FOR THE MONTH AT THAT TIME. DAILY RECORD HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE EITHER EXCEEDED OR EQUALED WITH 83
DEGREES ON THE 20TH...88 DEGREES ON THE 22ND...AND 85
DEGREES ON THE 23RD. THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF 55 DEGREES
ON THE 22ND EQUALED THE RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE.
21-22 IN 1910...NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 45 MPH BEHIND A COLD
FRONT. RAINFALL TOTALED 0.63 INCH.
IN 1923...SNOWFALL OF 2.0 INCHES IN THE CITY WAS THE ONLY
SNOW OF THE MONTH AND THE LAST MEASURABLE SNOW OF THE
SEASON. NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 25 MPH ON
THE 21ST.
IN 1952...HEAVY SNOWFALL TOTALED 7.6 INCHES AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT. THE STORM WAS ACCOMPANIED BY NORTH WINDS GUSTING
TO 33 MPH.
IN 2001...THE SECOND MAJOR SNOW STORM IN 11 DAYS MOVED INTO
METRO DENVER WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS DEVELOPING AGAIN
ACROSS THE PLAINS TO THE NORTHEAST OF DENVER. SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS RANGED UP TO 9 INCHES IN METRO DENVER WITH UP TO
23 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS. NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED
AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 36 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHICH WAS AGAIN SHUT DOWN FOR NEARLY
AN HOUR BY POWER OUTAGES ON THE 22ND. THE OUTAGES AFFECTED
LIGHTING IN THE CONCOURSES...TRAIN OPERATIONS...DE-ICING AND
REFUELING OPERATIONS...FLIGHT INFORMATION DISPLAYS...AND
SECURITY SCREENINGS. NAVIGATIONAL AIDS WERE ALSO AFFECTED...
RESULTING IN THE CANCELLATION OF 58 ARRIVING AND DEPARTING
FLIGHTS WHICH STRANDED ABOUT 5000 PASSENGERS. ACROSS METRO
DENVER STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 9 INCHES AT ELDORADO SPRINGS...
7 INCHES IN BOULDER...6 INCHES AT KEN CARYL...NORTHGLENN AND
NEAR SEDALIA; 5 INCHES IN ARVADA AND MORRISON. ONLY 1.7
INCHES OF SNOW WERE MEASURED AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. IN THE FOOTHILLS SNOW
TOTALS INCLUDED: 23 INCHES NEAR FRITZ PEAK SOUTH OF
ROLLINSVILLE...17 INCHES NEAR JAMESTOWN...16 INCHES NEAR
BLACKHAWK...14 INCHES IN COAL CREEK CANYON...13 INCHES AT
IDAHO SPRINGS AND NEAR NEDERLAND...11 INCHES AT ASPEN
SPRINGS...AND 10 INCHES NEAR BERGEN PARK.
21-23 IN 1999...A SPRING SNOWSTORM DUMPED HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER METRO
DENVER AND IN THE FOOTHILLS. NEARLY 3 FEET OF SNOW FELL
IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH OVER A FOOT IN THE CITY. THE HEAVY
WET SNOW DOWNED POWER LINES IN DOUGLAS AND ELBERT COUNTIES.
SCATTERED OUTAGES WERE REPORTED AT PARKER...FRANKTOWN...
SEDALIA...AND CASTLE ROCK. SOME RESIDENTS WERE WITHOUT
ELECTRICITY FOR AS LONG AS 20 HOURS. THE INCLEMENT WEATHER
WAS BLAMED...AT LEAST IN PART...FOR SEVERAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR BETWEEN DENVER AND CASTLE ROCK.
SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED: 32 INCHES AT IDAHO SPRINGS...31
INCHES ON CROW HILL...29 INCHES NEAR EVERGREEN...26 INCHES AT
CHIEF HOSA AND COAL CREEK CANYON...25 INCHES AT BAILEY...24
INCHES AT FLOYD HILL...23 INCHES AT CONIFER...GENESEE...GOLDEN
GATE CANYON...NORTH TURKEY CREEK...AND PINE JUNCTION; 13
INCHES AT BROOMFIELD AND NEAR SEDALIA...12 INCHES IN
BOULDER...11 INCHES AT LOUISVILLE AND PARKER...AND 9 INCHES
AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2004...HEAVY SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER...WHEN LOW LEVEL
UPSLOPE CONDITIONS DEVELOPED AGAINST THE FOOTHILLS AND
PALMER DIVIDE. SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED: 18 INCHES IN THE
FOOTHILLS SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER...17 INCHES AT INTERCANYON AND
NEAR CONIFER...10 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK AND PARKER...9 INCHES
AT CASTLE ROCK AND NEAR SEDALIA...7 INCHES IN CENTENNIAL...
LITTLETON...AND NEAR LONE TREE. ELSEWHERE ACROSS METRO
DENVER...SNOWFALL GENERALLY RANGED FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES.
SNOWFALL WAS 4.7 INCHES AT DENVER STAPLETON. NORTHWEST
WINDS GUSTED TO 35 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
ON THE 21ST.
22 IN 1896...SOUTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 39 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH 56 MPH. THE APPARENT CHINOOK WINDS WARMED THE
TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 78 DEGREES.
IN 1904...WEST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 48 MPH
WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 69 DEGREES.
IN 1925...SOUTHEAST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 42 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 46 MPH WARMED THE TEMPERATURE TO A HIGH OF 76 DEGREES.
IN 1958...WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 48 MPH AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT.
IN 2022...STRONG WINDS DEVELOPED OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS
AND ADJACENT PLAINS. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 90 MPH AT
THE MOUTH COAL CREEK CANYON; 74 MPH AT BUCKLEY AFB...71 MPH
IN MARSHALL...59 MPH...4 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ERIE AND AT
CENTENNIAL AIRPORT...AND 58 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AND STRASBURG.
22-23 IN 1885...THE WORST SNOW STORM SINCE STATION RECORDS BEGAN IN
1872 DUMPED A TOTAL OF 24.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL ON THE CITY.
THE 23.0 INCHES OF SNOW RECORDED ON THE 22ND AND 23RD WAS
THE GREATEST 24-HOUR SNOWFALL EVER RECORDED DURING THE
MONTH OF APRIL. STREETS WERE IMPASSABLE...ROOFS CAVED IN...
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE WIRES WERE DOWNED...RAILROADS WERE
BLOCKED AND TRAINS DELAYED...AND MOST BUSINESS CAME TO A
COMPLETE STANDSTILL. ESTIMATED LOSSES WERE REPORTED TO
50 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE TOTAL SNOWFALL WAS PARTLY
ESTIMATED DUE TO MELTING. PRECIPITATION FROM THE STORM
TOTALED 2.79 INCHES.
IN 1915...POST-FRONTAL RAIN DURING THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT
TOTALED 2.00 INCHES. MOST OF THE RAIN FELL ON THE 22ND.
IN 1945...6.7 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER. THIS
WAS THE THIRD MAJOR SNOW IN A LITTLE OVER 3 WEEKS...WHICH
MADE THIS MONTH THE 4TH SNOWIEST ON RECORD. NORTHEAST WINDS
WERE SUSTAINED TO 25 MPH AND LIGHT HAIL FELL ON THE 22ND.
IN 2013...A SPRING STORM BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS...
WITH PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO PORTIONS OF THE
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR. IN THE MOUNTAINS
AND FOOTHILLS...STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 18 INCHES AT NIWOT
RIDGE SNOTEL...16.5 INCHES NEAR WARD...13 INCHES AT ARAPAHOE
BASIN AND ROACH SNOTEL...12 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK...11.5
INCHES NEAR NEDERLAND...11 INCHES NEAR ALLENSPARK AND
LOVELAND SKI AREA...10 INCHES NEAR IDAHO SPRINGS AND
PINECLIFFE...WITH 9.5 INCHES NEAR SILVERTHORNE. ALONG
THE URBAN CORRIDOR STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 7.5 INCHES NEAR
MORRISON...7 INCHES AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE
IN BOULDER AND IN NIWOT...6.5 INCHES NEAR ARAPAHOE PARK AND
SUPERIOR...WITH 6 INCHES AT LAFAYETTE AND LAKEWOOD. AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...4.7 INCHES OF NEW SNOWFALL
WAS OBSERVED.
22-24 IN 2010...A POTENT SPRING STORM BROUGHT HEAVY...WET SNOW TO
AREAS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND WIDESPREAD
RAINFALL ACROSS THE ADJACENT PLAINS. IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS AND NORTH-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...STORM TOTALS RANGED FROM 15 TO 30
INCHES. STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 29.5 INCHES...3 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF PINECLIFFE; 27 INCHES...8 MILES NORTHEAST
OF FOUR CORNERS; 23 INCHES AT WILLOW CREEK...22.5 INCHES...
13 MILES NORTHWEST OF GOLDEN; 21 INCHES AT NEVER SUMMER...
17 INCHES AT ELDORADO SPRINGS...WITH 16.5 INCHES...3 MILES
WEST OF JAMESTOWN. DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REPORTED
A TRACE OF SNOWFALL...BUT MEASURED 2.01 INCHES OF RAINFALL
FOR THE DURATION OF THE STORM. IN ADDITION...A PEAK WIND
GUST TO 54 MPH FROM THE NORTHWEST WAS OBSERVED AT THE
AIRPORT ON THE 23RD
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