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NOUS45 KBOU 150859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-152300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT SUN MAR 15 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.
12-16 IN 1880...A PROTRACTED COLD SPELL RESULTED IN 8 TEMPERATURE
RECORDS BEING SET. RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR THE DATE
WERE SET WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO 10 DEGREES BELOW
ZERO ON THE 13TH AND 14TH...8 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE
12TH AND 15TH...AND 4 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON THE 16TH.
DAILY RECORD LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE SET WITH 11
DEGREES ON THE 12TH...12 DEGREES ON THE 13TH...AND 19 DEGREES
ON THE 15TH.
13-15 IN 1906...SNOWFALL TOTALED 8.0 INCHES OVER DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 2021...BANDS OF SNOW DEVELOPED OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO INTO
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS ON THE 13TH...WHICH THEN
INTENSIFIED OVERNIGHT. THE HEAVY SNOW THEN GRADUALLY SHIFTED
SOUTHWARD ON THE 14TH AND COVERED DENVER AND THE FRONT RANGE.
THE SNOW SLOWLY DECREASED IN THE EVENING. NORTH WINDS
INCREASED TO 25 TO 35 MPH...ON THE 14TH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50
MPH. THIS PRODUCED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR
FROM PALMER DIVIDE NORTH TO THE WYOMING BORDER. DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RUNWAYS WERE CLOSED...FROM NOON ON THE
14TH UNTIL 2 PM ON THE 15TH...WITH OVER 2000 FLIGHTS CANCELED.
ALL MAJOR INTERSTATES WERE CLOSED EXCEPT FOR THOSE AREAS AROUND
DENVER. EXTENSIVE DRIFTING SNOW WAS OBSERVED...WITH DRIFTS FROM
3 TO 7 FEET DEEP. THE HEAVY WET SNOW CAUSED EXTENSIVE TREE
DAMAGE AND PRODUCED POWER OUTAGES. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE FRONT
RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS RANGED FROM 20 TO 40 INCHES...WITH
18 TO 30 INCHES REPORTED ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR. THE OFFICIAL
SNOW FOR DENVER WAS 27.1" WHICH WAS THE 4TH LARGEST STORM
ON RECORD SINCE 1882. ON THE 14TH...NORTH WINDS GUSTS TO 48 MPH
AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 14TH. IN ADDITION...
LIQUID PRECIPITATION FOR THIS STORM EVENT TOTALED 2.88 INCHES
AT THE AIRPORT.
IN 2024...STRONG UPSLOPE FLOW COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE
PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS
AND FOOTHILLS...PALMER DIVIDE AND DENVER METRO AREA. SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS RANGED FROM 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS
AND SOME MOUNTAIN AREAS WITH LOCALLY UP TO 5 FEET. THE TOP FIVE
STORM TOTALS INCLUDED: 61.5 INCHES IN ASPEN SPRINGS...61 INCHES...
5.4 MILES NORTHWEST OF EVERGREEN...57.0 INCHES...1 MILE WEST OF
ASPEN SPRINGS...54.4 INCHES NEAR ROLLINSVILLE...AND 53.7 INCHES...
4.7 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF IDAHO SPRINGS. ACROSS THE DENVER
METRO AREA...THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRED IN THE WESTERN AND
SOUTHERN SUBURBS WHERE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS RANGED FROM 14 TO 22
INCHES. OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF DENVER...INCLUDING
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WERE IN THE 5
TO 10 INCH RANGE AS RAIN DIDN'T CHANGE TO SNOW UNTIL THE MORNING
OF THE 14TH. THE PREVIOUS DAY...0.80 OF RAINFALL WAS MEASURED AT
THE AIRPORT...WHICH BROKE THE DAILY RECORD FOR MARCH 13TH. THE
2-DAY TOTAL...FOR MARCH 13-14TH...WAS 1.46 INCHES. OFFICIALLY...
5.7 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WAS MEASURED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...WITH 20.5 INCHES AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
OFFICE IN BOULDER. THE POWERFUL STORM BROUGHT INTERSTATE 70
TO A STANDSTILL. THE 90-MILE CLOSURE ALONG I-70 REMAINED IN
EFFECT THROUGH MUCH OF THE STORM. THE CLOSURE OCCURRED AS AT
LEAST TWO HUNDRED VEHICLES...BECAME STRANDED ON I-70...INCLUDING
A SKI BUS FULL OF 50 WOMEN WHO RAN OUT OF FOOD AND WATER AFTER
BEING STUCK FOR 16 HOURS. NEARLY TWO DOZEN TRUCKS WERE ALSO
STUCK ALONG US 285 SOUTHWEST OF DENVER WHICH RESULTED IN ITS
CLOSURE AS WELL. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...THE STORM
FORCED HUNDREDS OF CANCELLATIONS AND FLIGHT DELAYS. ON THE 13TH...
823 FLIGHTS WERE CANCELED AND 375 DELAYED. MORE THAN 53000
CUSTOMERS WERE IMPACTED BY POWER OUTAGES ACROSS COLORADO...
PRIMARILY IN METRO DENVER AND ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. SOME
RESIDENTS IN THE FOOTHILLS REMAINED STRANDED IN THEIR HOMES
FOR SEVERAL DAYS FOLLOWING THE STORM. COLORADO ISSUED EMERGENCY
DISASTER DECLARATIONS FOR CLEAR CREEK AND GILPIN COUNTIES...
DUE TO THE HEAVY AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND STRANDED MOTORISTS.
14-16 IN 1908...A WARM SPELL RESULTED IN DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
TEMPERATURES ON 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS: 54 DEGREES ON THE
14TH...52 DEGREES ON THE 15TH...AND 56 DEGREES ON THE 16TH...
ALSO THE ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE MONTH OF
MARCH. HIGH TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM 65 DEGREES ON THE
14TH TO 72 DEGREES ON THE 16TH.
IN 1983...A HEAVY WET SNOWSTORM BURIED METRO DENVER WITH THE
FOOTHILLS RECEIVING THE MOST. CONIFER RECORDED 34 INCHES
OF SNOW WITH 4 FEET MEASURED AT COAL CREEK CANYON IN THE
FOOTHILLS NORTHWEST OF DENVER. THE STORM LEFT 6 TO 10
INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS METRO DENVER. BOULDER RECEIVED 12 TO
18 INCHES. FLIGHT OPERATIONS AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WERE LIMITED TO ONE RUNWAY FOR A TIME. SOME ROADS
AND SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED...AND POWER OUTAGES OCCURRED WHEN
WET SNOW DOWNED LINES. SNOWFALL ON THE 15TH AND 16TH
TOTALED 7.2 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH. MAXIMUM SNOW DEPTH
ON THE GROUND WAS ONLY 6 INCHES DUE TO MELTING.
15 IN 1902...NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 54 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 60 MPH.
IN 1920...SOUTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS
TO 48 MPH. THE STRONG BUT COLD DOWNSLOPE WINDS WARMED THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE TO ONLY 35 DEGREES.
IN 1935...STRONG WINDS HOWLED ACROSS BOULDER. AT VALMONT A
WIND GUST TO 60 MPH WAS RECORDED. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 2006...STRONG WINDS RANGING FROM 60 TO 75 MPH WERE REPORTED
IN AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER COUNTY. IN LONGMONT...
TWO TREES TOPPLED BY THE STRONG WINDS DAMAGED A CAR. WINDS
GUSTED TO 75 MPH AT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC
RESEARCH MESA LABORATORY IN BOULDER. WEST WINDS GUSTED TO
52 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
15-16 IN 2000...HEAVY UPSLOPE SNOWFALL OCCURRED IN AND NEAR THE
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE TO THE
SOUTH OF METRO DENVER. SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM THE STORM
INCLUDED: 17 INCHES AT IDAHO SPRINGS; 16 INCHES AT
ASPEN SPRINGS; 12 INCHES IN BOULDER; 11 INCHES AT BAILEY...
CHIEF HOSA...COAL CREEK CANYON...ELDORADO SPRINGS...EVERGREEN...
AND NEAR MORRISON; 10 INCHES AT INTERCANYON...KEN CARYL
RANCH...AND NEAR NEDERLAND; 9 INCHES NEAR SEDALIA AND IN
WHEAT RIDGE; AND 8 INCHES IN ARVADA. SNOWFALL TOTALED 5.4
INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. NORTHEAST WINDS GUSTED TO 28 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE 15TH.
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