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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT WED APR 1 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
31-1 IN 1876...HEAVY SNOW BEGAN DURING THE NIGHT AND LASTED ALL
DAY ON THE 31ST AND THROUGH THE MORNING OF THE 1ST. THE
AVERAGE DEPTH OF SNOW FALL WAS 10 TO 12 INCHES...BUT STRONG
WINDS WHIPPED THE SNOW INTO DRIFTS OF 8 TO 10 FEET DEEP ON
THE STREETS OF THE CITY. PRECIPITATION FROM THE STORM WAS
1.03 INCHES ON THE 31ST AND 0.37 INCH ON THE 1ST.
IN 1891...HEAVY MOIST SNOWFALL TOTALED 18.0 INCHES IN THE
CITY. NORTHEAST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 24 MPH ON THE 31ST.
IN 1936...NORTHEAST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 21 MPH PRODUCED A
LIGHT DUST STORM IN THE CITY.
IN 1975...A MAJOR STORM DUMPED 9.3 INCHES OF SNOWFALL AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHWEST WINDS
GUSTED TO 41 MPH. RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW ON THE AFTERNOON
OF THE 31ST...REDUCING THE VISIBILITY TO AS LOW AS 1/8 MILE.
SNOW CONTINUED ALL DAY ON THE 1ST AND ACCUMULATED TO A DEPTH
OF 8 INCHES ON THE GROUND. THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 10
DEGREES ON THE 1ST SET A NEW RECORD LOW FOR THE DATE.
31-2 IN 1980...THE SECOND MAJOR BLIZZARD IN 5 DAYS BURIED MUCH OF
EASTERN COLORADO UNDER 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW. SOME DRIFTS
WERE UP TO 22 FEET HIGH. HUNDREDS OF TRAVELERS WERE
STRANDED. OVER 3000 FAMILIES WERE WITHOUT POWER.
LIVESTOCK LOSSES WERE HIGH. METRO DENVER ESCAPED THE
MAIN BRUNT OF THIS STORM. AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...ONLY 6.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER THE 3-DAY PERIOD
AND NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO ONLY 22 MPH ON THE 1ST.
31-3 IN 1979...TOTAL SNOWFALL OF 6.6 INCHES WAS MEASURED AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED
TO 31 MPH ON THE 31ST. THE GREATEST ACCUMULATION OF SNOW
ON THE GROUND WAS 3 INCHES ON THE 1ST.
31-4 IN 1905...MUCH RAIN AND SOME SNOW OCCURRED OVER THE 5 DAYS
BEHIND AN APPARENT COLD FRONT. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 2.00
INCHES. THERE WAS A THUNDERSTORM ON THE 3RD. SNOWFALL
TOTALED 3.0 INCHES ON THE 4TH. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED
TO 34 MPH ON THE 1ST AND 2ND AND TO 30 MPH ON THE 3RD.
HIGH TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD RANGED FROM THE UPPER
30'S TO THE LOWER 40'S. LOW TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE UPPER
20'S AND LOWER 30'S.
1 IN 1987...A VIGOROUS COLD FRONT PRODUCED 2.3 INCHES OF SNOWFALL
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTHEAST WINDS
GUSTED TO 39 MPH. THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED FROM A MAXIMUM OF
59 DEGREES AT MID-MORNING TO A LOW OF 25 DEGREES AT MIDNIGHT.
1-2 IN 1963...FROM THE 1ST TO 2ND...STRONG WINDS BUFFETED METRO
DENVER...WHILE WIND-WHIPPED FIRES CONSUMED GRASSLAND ON THE
PLAINS. A CHILD WAS INJURED BY A WIND BLOWN FALLING TREE IN
CASTLE ROCK. SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 52 MPH AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT...CAUSING SOME BLOWING DUST. THE WORST FIRE STORM
BURNED OVER 25 THOUSAND ACRES OF GRAZING LAND IN SOUTHERN
WELD COUNTY NEAR ROGGEN NORTHEAST OF DENVER.
IN 1984...FROM THE 1ST TO THE 2ND...A SNOWSTORM WITH NEAR-
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER EASTERN COLORADO CLOSED MANY ROADS...
INCLUDING I-70 AND I-76 EAST OF DENVER AND I-25 BETWEEN
DENVER AND COLORADO SPRINGS. AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...SNOWFALL TOTALED ONLY 2.5 INCHES...BUT NORTH WINDS
GUSTED TO 45 MPH ON THE 2ND.
IN 1999...FROM THE 1ST TO THE 2ND...MOIST UPSLOPE CONDITIONS
ALLOWED HEAVY SNOW TO DEVELOP IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS
WHERE SNOWFALL TOTALS INCLUDED: 10 INCHES AT ASPEN PARK AND
EVERGREEN; 9 INCHES AT TURKEY CREEK; 8 INCHES AT IDAHO
SPRINGS AND GENESEE; 7 INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...CROW HILL...
INTERCANYON...AND LAKE GEORGE. IN METRO DENVER SNOWFALL
TOTALS INCLUDED: 10 INCHES SOUTH OF SEDALIA; 8 INCHES IN
LITTLETON; 7 INCHES AT MORRISON; 6 INCHES AT HIGHLANDS RANCH;
AND 4 TO 5 INCHES IN NORTHGLENN...PARKER AND NEAR LOUISVILLE.
SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.7 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
1-3 IN 1945...SNOW FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER FOR A TOTAL OF 51
CONSECUTIVE HOURS. WHILE THE STORM WAS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY
EXCESSIVE SNOW...THE LONG DURATION MADE THE EVENT A HEAVY
SNOW PRODUCER. SNOWFALL TOTALED 10.7 INCHES IN DOWNTOWN
DENVER WITH 9.5 INCHES RECORDED AT STAPLETON AIRPORT. NORTH
WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 21 MPH ON THE 1ST; OTHERWISE WINDS
WERE NOT STRONG. THE AIR MASS WAS VERY COLD FOR APRIL.
THE HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 26 ON THE 2ND AND 17 ON THE 3RD
WERE RECORD LOW MAXIMUMS FOR THE DATES. THE LATTER WAS ALSO
A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE MONTH. WARM WEATHER FOLLOWING
THE STORM QUICKLY MELTED THE SNOW.
IN 1973...HEAVY SNOW FELL AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE 8.7 INCHES WERE MEASURED. SNOW BEGAN LATE ON THE 1ST
AND CONTINUED THROUGH EARLY MORNING ON THE 3RD. THUNDER
ACCOMPANIED THE SNOW DURING THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON
OF THE 2ND. NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 33 MPH ON THE 2ND AND
37 MPH ON THE 3RD. SNOW ONLY ACCUMULATED TO A DEPTH OF
5 INCHES ON THE GROUND DUE TO MELTING.
IN 1977...FROM THE 1ST TO THE 3RD...A FOOT OF SNOW FELL IN
BOULDER AND BROOMFIELD. THE DENVER-BOULDER TURNPIKE WAS
CLOSED FOR AN HOUR AFTER NUMEROUS MINOR TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SNOWFALL TOTALED 4.7
INCHES AND SOUTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 32 MPH ON THE 2ND.
THE GREATEST DEPTH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WAS ONLY 3 INCHES
DUE TO MELTING.
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