National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
NOUS45 KBOU 120859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-122300-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT FRI APR 12 2024

...Today in metro Denver weather history...

7-12  In 1959...snow falling over a 5-day period totaled 20 to 30
        inches just east of the mountains...while over the plains
        blizzard conditions closed schools and blocked highways.
        The second big storm in two weeks dumped 16.4 inches of
        snowfall on Stapleton Airport with the most...11.6 inches...
        occurring on the 8th.  East winds gusted to 37 mph on the
        9th.  Temperatures dipped into the single digits on the
        mornings of the 7th and 12th when 7 degrees were
        registered.  The cold temperatures caused streets to
        glaze with ice...resulting in the death of a pedestrian
        who was struck by a car in Denver.  Three people died from
        heart attacks while shoveling the heavy...wet snow.
9-12  In 1901...rain changed to snow and totaled 10.8 inches in
        downtown Denver over the 4 days.  Northeast winds were
        sustained to 28 mph with gusts to 31 mph on the 11th.
        Temperatures hovered in the 30`s.
10-12 In 1997...a Pacific storm produced heavy snow on the 10th and
        the 11th in and near the foothills with 6 to 8 inches at
        Louisville and Turkey Creek Canyon...5 inches at Morrison...
        and only 3.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport.  Northeast winds gusted to 24 mph
        at Denver International Airport.  The storm also brought
        unseasonably cold weather with 5 new temperature records
        equaled or broken.  Record low temperatures of 8 and
        6 occurred on the 11th and 12th.  Record low maximum
        temperatures of 20...19...and 30 occurred on the 10th...11th...
        and 12th respectively.  This was also only the second
        time on record that the temperature had failed to reach
        the freezing mark for 3 consecutive days in April.
10-14 In 1927...post-frontal rain on the 10th changed to snow on
        the 11th and continued through the 14th.  Snowfall totaled
        8.5 inches from precipitation of 1.28 inches.  North winds
        were sustained to 26 mph with gusts to 29 mph on the 13th.
11-12 In 1876...heavy snow began during the late afternoon of the
        11th and continued through the night.  Light snow ended
        around mid-morning of the 12th.  The amount of snow was
        not measured...but precipitation totaled 0.70 inch...which
        would be around 7 inches of estimated snowfall.  Strong
        winds accompanied the heavy snowfall.
      In 1896...post-frontal light rain changed to light snow
        overnight...but totaled only a trace.  Northeast winds
        were sustained to 45 mph with gusts as high as 62 mph
        on the 12th.
      In 1991...a strong Pacific storm dumped heavy snow across
        metro Denver with amounts of 6 to 15 inches at lower
        elevations and up to almost 2 feet in the foothills west
        of Denver.  Snowfall reports included:  21 inches at Idaho
        Springs...19 inches at Aspen Springs...15 inches in Arvada...
        14 inches at Rollinsville...10 inches in Boulder...8 inches
        in Aurora...and 7.3 inches at Stapleton International
        Airport where northeast winds gusted to 24 mph on the 11th.
11-13 In 2020...a cold northerly flow...associated with a strong
        upper level jet stream...combined with low level upslope
        to produce a period of moderate to heavy snowfall in and
        near the foothills. The heaviest snowfall focused over
        Boulder County where 19.3 inches was observed near
        Eldorado Springs...with 18 inches in northwest Boulder.
        Storm totals elsewhere included: 16.5 inches at the
        National Weather Service in southwest Boulder...15.5
        inches near Genesee...14 inches near Louisville...13
        inches...2 miles southwest of Golden and Westminster; 11.5
        inches in Kittredge and Lyons...and 10 inches near Crescent
        Village...Erie...and Lafayette.  At Denver International
        Airport...only 1.0 inch of snowfall was observed.
12    In 1906...north winds were sustained to 52 mph in the city.
      In 1916...post-frontal north winds were sustained to 40 mph
        with gusts to 42 mph.  Light rain also occurred.
      In 1964...strong gusty winds raked metro Denver.  Wind gusts
        estimated to 60 mph or higher caused widespread damage to
        buildings and power lines.  Blowing dust closed some roads.
        A wind gust to 46 mph was recorded at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1967...microburst winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1982...wind gusts to 60 mph were reported in and near the
        foothills.  Wind gusts to 44 mph were recorded at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1987...snow fell over metro Denver...causing traffic tie-ups
        on the roads and at Stapleton International Airport where
        some flights were delayed for 90 minutes.  I-25 south of
        Denver was closed for a time due to numerous traffic
        accidents.  While only 4.2 inches of snow fell in Denver...
        foothills to the southwest received 6 to 12 inches of snow.
        North winds gusted to 33 mph at Stapleton International
        Airport where the maximum snow depth on the ground was
        only 2 inches due to melting.
12-13 In 1922...post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow...which
        totaled 7.0 inches in downtown Denver.  This was the
        second snow in 3 days.  North winds were sustained to
        29 mph with gusts to 31 mph on the 12th.
      In 1993...heavy snow occurred in the foothills northwest of
        Denver with 21 inches recorded at the Eldora ski area.
        Only 1.9 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International
        Airport where northeast winds gusted to 32 mph on the 13th.
        Most of the precipitation from the storm fell as rain across
        the city with 0.62 inch of precipitation measured at
        Stapleton International Airport.
12-14 In 1933...heavy snowfall of 5.6 inches occurred in downtown
        Denver on the 12th and 13th behind a vigorous cold front...
        which presented an awe-inspiring spectacle as it approached
        the station during the late afternoon of the 12th.  Brilliant
        white wind-torn cumulus clouds were sandwiched by a brownish-
        tan dust cloud at the surface and dark blue cumulus clouds
        above.  The dust cloud storm rapidly enveloped the station
        with northeast winds sustained to 38 mph and gusts to 44 mph
        producing much blowing dust...which was accompanied by rapidly
        falling temperatures and rising pressure.  Moist snowfall
        started in about an hour and continued to midday on the 13th.
        Record low temperatures of 17 and 15 degrees occurred on the
        13th and 14th respectively.  The high temperature of only 27
        degrees on the 13th was a record low maximum for the date.
12-15 In 1927...snowfall totaled 8.5 inches in downtown Denver.
        Most of the snow fell on the 14th.  Northwest winds
        were sustained to 27 mph during the storm.

$$