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NOUS45 KBOU 100859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-102300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT SAT OCT 10 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
9-10 IN 2005...FROM THE 9TH TO THE 10TH...A MAJOR WINTER STORM
BROUGHT HEAVY...WET SNOWFALL TO THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS...
EASTERN FOOTHILLS...PORTIONS OF METRO DENVER...AND THE
PALMER DIVIDE. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS RANGED FROM 8 TO 26
INCHES WITH DRIFTS FROM 3 TO 4 FEET IN PLACES. THE
HEAVIEST SNOW OCCURRED TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE
CITY...CLOSING MOST MAJOR HIGHWAYS IN THAT AREA...INCLUDING
I-70 FROM DENVER TO LIMON. THE RED CROSS OPENED FOUR
SHELTERS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE STRANDED ALONG I-70 IN
EASTERN COLORADO. SINCE MANY TREES HAD NOT YET SHED
THEIR LEAVES...THE STORM CAUSED SIGNIFICANT TREE
DAMAGE. ONE WOMAN IN DENVER WAS KILLED WHEN A TREE
BRANCH...8 TO 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER...SNAPPED UNDER THE
WEIGHT OF THE HEAVY...WET SNOW AND STRUCK HER AS SHE WAS
SHOVELING HER DRIVEWAY. XCEL ENERGY REPORTED POWER
OUTAGES TO ABOUT 35 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS. SEVERAL
INCOMING FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. SNOW TOTALS INCLUDED: 16 INCHES IN THE
FOOTHILLS NEAR BOULDER...12 INCHES AT GENESEE AND NEAR
GOLDEN...22 INCHES NEAR WATKINS...19 INCHES NEAR
BENNETT...17 INCHES SOUTHEAST OF AURORA...14 INCHES NEAR
PARKER...13 INCHES NEAR CASTLE ROCK...12 INCHES IN CENTENNIAL...
11 INCHES IN PARKER...AND 10 INCHES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT AND IN LITTLETON. WHILE MANY AREAS OF METRO DENVER
RECEIVED HEAVY SNOW...OTHERS EXPERIENCED ALMOST ENTIRELY RAIN.
THIS INCLUDED WEST AND NORTHWEST METRO DENVER...BOULDER...AND
LONGMONT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WERE SIGNIFICANT AS STORM TOTALS
RANGED BETWEEN 1.50 AND 2.50 INCHES. THE STEADY RAINFALL
TRIGGERED 3 ROCKSLIDES IN FOOTHILLS CANYONS. TWO OF THE
SLIDES OCCURRED ON STATE HIGHWAY 119 IN BOULDER CANYON AND
THE LONGEST SLIDE...7 FEET IN LENGTH...ON STATE HIGHWAY 74 IN
BEAR CREEK CANYON AT IDLEDALE. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED
TO AROUND 23 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 31 MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT ON THE 9TH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 34 DEGREES
ON THE 10TH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE. THE LOW
TEMPERATURE ON BOTH DAYS WAS 32 DEGREES.
IN 2019...A VIGOROUS WINTER LIKE STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT INTENSE
NORTHERLY WINDS AND THE COLD FRONT BLASTED THROUGH THE URBAN
CORRIDOR. PEAK WIND GUSTS FROM 50 TO 60 MPH ACCOMPANIED THE
FRONT. SOME TREES IN DENVER WERE UPROOTED BY THE STRONG
WINDS. LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE OVERNIGHT...CHANGED OVER TO THE
SEASON'S FIRST SNOW DURING THE PREDAWN HOURS OF THE 10TH.
BANDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW BROUGHT 2 TO 6 INCHES OF
SNOW IN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND URBAN
CORRIDOR. THE MORNING COMMUTE WAS ESPECIALLY HAZARDOUS AS
FALLING TEMPERATURES FROZE WET ROADS. MULTIPLE CRASHES
OCCURRED INCLUDING: I-25 IN DENVER...I-70 FROM DENVER WEST
TO THE EISENHOWER TUNNEL AND STATE HIGHWAY 285 TOWARDS
FAIRPLAY. OVER 300 CRASHES WERE REPORTED IN DENVER AND
AURORA ALONE. AFTER REACHING A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES OF
83 DEGREES ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE 9TH...THE TEMPERATURE
PLUMMETED TO 13 DEGREES ON THE 10TH. A TEMPERATURE CHANGE
OF 70 DEGREES...THE SECOND LARGEST 2-DAY SWING FOR THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY.
10 IN 1901...AN EVENING THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED EAST WINDS TO
43 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 48 MPH.
IN 1949...STRONG WINDS BELIEVED TO BE THE WORST IN BOULDER'S
HISTORY AT THE TIME CAUSED OVER 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS
DAMAGE IN THE CITY. PEAK WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO 85 MPH
AT VALMONT...JUST EAST OF BOULDER. HIGH WINDS ALSO
OCCURRED OVER MOST OF METRO DENVER AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO
TREES...WINDOW GLASS...AND UTILITY LINES. THE DAMAGE WAS
MOST PRONOUNCED OVER THE NORTHWEST METRO AREA...INCLUDING
NORTH DENVER AND LAKEWOOD. FALLING TREE BRANCHES CAUSED
DAMAGE TO PARKED AUTOS AND HOUSES. WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH
WERE RECORDED AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1964...LIGHTNING STRUCK AND KILLED A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY...WHILE
HE WAS RIDING HIS BICYCLE ALONG A TREE-LINED RESIDENTIAL
STREET IN SOUTH DENVER. APPARENT MICROBURST WINDS GUSTED
TO 54 MPH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
10-11 IN 1986...FROM THE 10TH TO THE 11TH...FIRST SIGNIFICANT
SNOWSTORM OF THE SEASON PRODUCED 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW OVER
METRO DENVER WITH 5 TO 10 INCHES IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF
DENVER. WONDERVU RECORDED THE MOST SNOW FROM THE STORM...13
INCHES. THE HEAVY WET SNOW CAUSED NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES.
THE STORM WAS ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG NORTH WINDS WITH GUSTS
TO 41 MPH RECORDED ON THE 10TH. THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE
SEASON TOTALED 3.1 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WITH ONLY ONE INCH ON THE GROUND DUE TO MELTING. THE STRONG
COLD FRONT ACCOMPANYING THE STORM COOLED THE TEMPERATURE
FROM A HIGH OF 73 DEGREES ON THE 10TH TO A HIGH OF ONLY
33 DEGREES ON THE 11TH...WHICH WAS A RECORD LOW MAXIMUM
FOR THE DATE.
10-12 IN 1969...FROM THE 10TH TO THE 12TH...THE SECOND HEAVY SNOWSTORM
IN LESS THAN A WEEK DUMPED NEARLY A FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS
METRO DENVER AND PLUNGED THE AREA INTO EXTREMELY COLD
TEMPERATURES FOR SO EARLY IN THE SEASON. SNOWFALL TOTALED
11.0 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NORTH WINDS
GUSTING TO 26 MPH PRODUCED DRIFTS UP TO 2 FEET DEEP.
TEMPERATURES DIPPED FROM A HIGH OF 52 DEGREES ON THE 10TH TO
A RECORD LOW FOR THE DATE OF 10 DEGREES ON THE 12TH. THERE
WAS ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER AND TELEPHONE LINES
FROM HEAVY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND ICING. TRAVEL WAS
RESTRICTED OR BLOCKED BY DRIFTING SNOW IN BOTH THE
MOUNTAINS AND ON THE PLAINS EAST OF DENVER.
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