Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Current Version | Previous Version | Text Only | Print | Product List | Glossary Off
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

000
NOUS45 KBOU 060959
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-062300-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MST WED MAR 6 2024

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

4-6   In 1931...a cold front with north winds gusting to 35 mph
        on the evening of the 4th brought snowfall on the 5th
        into the early morning of the 6th.  Heavy snowfall
        totaled 6.2 inches.  Temperatures plunged from a high
        of 58 degrees on the 4th to a low of only 22 degrees
        by midnight...which was also the high reading on the
        5th.
      In 1983...a slow moving moisture laden storm produced heavy
        snow and rain.  Two to three feet of snow fell in the
        foothills at Wondervu and Nederland.  The southern portion
        of metro Denver was buried with 26 inches of snow in
        southeast Aurora...25 inches at Franktown...and 19 inches
        at Littleton.  Snowfall totaled 18.7 inches at Stapleton
        International Airport with most of the snow...18.0 inches...
        falling on the 5th.  Brighton received only 11 inches
        of new snow.  Boulder was drenched by rain and received
        no snow.  Precipitation from the storm totaled 3.06
        inches at Stapleton International Airport where north
        winds gusted to 28 mph.  The heavy wet snow snapped many
        tree limbs...which fell on power and phone lines causing
        many outages.  Numerous highways were closed.  Two thousand
        travelers were stranded at Stapleton International
        Airport where only one runway was open for a time.  Many
        flights were canceled.  One home in Denver was severely
        damaged when its roof collapsed under the weight of the
        heavy snow.  The 2.68 inches of precipitation on the 5th
        was the greatest calendar day precipitation ever recorded
        in the city during March.  The 2.79 inches of precipitation
        on the 4th and 5th was the greatest 24 hour precipitation
        ever measured during March.
5-6   In 1935...3.0 inches of snow fell in downtown Denver.  This
        was the only measurable snow of the month.  Northwest
        winds gusted to 29 mph on the 5th.
      In 1940...heavy snowfall totaled 9.1 inches over downtown
        Denver.  North winds gusted to 22 mph.
      In 2000...high winds developed in and near the foothills
        just prior to the passage of an upper level storm system
        moving in from the west.  Peak gusts from the windstorm
        included:  88 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric
        Research near Boulder...82 mph in Boulder...80 mph at the
        National Wind Technology Center south of Boulder...79 mph
        on Rocky Flats...and 71 mph in Golden Gate Canyon.
        Several power lines were downed causing a few brief
        outages.  Thunderstorms produced southeast wind gusts
        to 51 mph at Denver International Airport on the 5th.
      In 2003...high winds spread from the mountains down the
        eastern slopes.  The highest wind gusts were 85 mph
        atop the Gamow Tower on the University of Colorado
        campus in Boulder and 70 mph at the National Wind
        Technology Center on Rocky Flats west of Broomfield.
        West winds gusted to 44 mph at Denver International
        Airport on the 6th.
      In 2018...high winds developed in and near Denver.  Peak
        wind gusts included 79 mph in Applewood...60 mph at Denver
        International Airport...and 59 mph near Bennett.
6     In 1900...west winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts
        to 49 mph.
      In 1920...the high temperature warmed to only 6 degrees...
        the all-time record low maximum temperature for the
        month of March.  The same reading also occurred on
        March 10...1948.
      In 1972...a wind gust to 100 mph was recorded at Jefferson
        County Airport in Broomfield.  Winds gusted in Boulder
        at speeds of 50 to 65 mph.  A light plane was overturned...
        and there was damage to other planes at Boulder Airport.
        The roof of a garage was blown off...and a mobile home was
        overturned in Boulder.  A truck was blown off the highway
        15 miles east of Boulder.  West winds gusted to 51 mph at
        Stapleton International Airport.  The warm chinook winds
        were responsible for setting a new record high temperature
        for the date of 75 degrees...exceeding the old record of
        72 degrees set in 1925.
      In 1990...a blizzard pummeled metro Denver.  Snow fell at a
        rate of 2 to 3 inches an hour.  Gusty north winds whipped
        the snow into 2- to 3-foot drifts by noon.  During the
        afternoon many stores and schools closed.  By rush hour
        sustained winds of 35 to 46 mph and gusts to 58 mph reduced
        visibilities to near zero and whipped the new snow into
        3- to 4-foot drifts.  Many residential as well as
        secondary and primary roads became impassable.  I-25
        and I-70 were closed in and out of the city.  Road crews
        cleared drifts as high as 12 feet in southeast Boulder and
        northwest Adams counties.  Several hundred rush hour
        commuters...including the state`s governor...were caught in
        the blizzard conditions along a 15-mile stretch of the
        Denver-Boulder turnpike.  Many remained snowbound in their
        vehicles up to 8 hours until rescued by police and the
        National Guard.  The highway remained closed until mid-day
        on the 7th.  Shelters for stranded commuters and travelers
        were opened in Broomfield and Castle Rock.  Many workers
        didn`t even try to go home...but filled downtown hotels to
        near capacity.  By early evening...Stapleton International
        Airport was shut down after an airliner with 82 passengers
        aboard skidded off a runway.  Snowfall totals for the storm
        varied from 18 to 50 inches in the foothills above 6
        thousand feet...9 to 24 inches west of I-25...and 2 to 12
        inches over eastern metro Denver.  Snowfall from the storm
        totaled 11.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport
        where the maximum snow depth on the ground was 7 inches
        due to melting.
      In 2004...very strong downslope winds developed in and
        near the eastern foothills...causing numerous traffic
        accidents and extensive property damage to roofs and
        aluminum sheds.  Three semi-trucks were toppled by the
        strong winds near the I-70 and C-470 interchange.  One of
        the trucks was carrying a modular home...while another was
        hauling hazardous material.  I-70 had to be closed in
        both directions until the accidents could be cleaned up.
        Strong winds forced the closure of State Highway 93
        between Golden and Boulder...when the road became icy and
        snowpacked from localized ground blizzards.  Another semi-
        truck was blown over near the intersection of State
        Highways 72 and 93 atop Rocky Flats.  Scattered power
        outages were reported across northern and western sections
        of metro Denver...affecting around 2000 residents.  In
        Boulder...several pine trees were uprooted by the high winds.
      IN 2017...strong winds combined with very dry conditions
        produced extreme fire danger across the region.  In Aurora...
        fire crews responded to a brush fire near Gun Club Road and
        Jewell Avenue. It burned approximately 290 acres before it
        was contained. Strong winds also downed a tree which crushed
        a parked car in a driveway.  Peak wind gusts included: 83
        mph...5 miles south of Berthoud; 63 mph at Centennial...
        58 mph near Bennett and at Denver International Airport.
6-7   In 1981...a storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of snow over higher
        elevations between Denver and Colorado Springs.  At
        Stapleton International Airport...north winds gusted to
        16 mph and snowfall totaled only 2.5 inches.
      In 1998...heavy snow fell over portions of metro Denver
        and the adjacent foothills.  Snowfall totals included
        11 inches at Chief Hosa...10 inches near Evergreen...8.5
        inches in Broomfield...8 inches at Bailey...and 7 inches
        at both Standley Lake and Thornton.  Elsewhere...snowfall
        across metro Denver ranged from 3 to 6 inches with
        4.9 inches measured at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport.  North winds gusted to 26 mph
        at Denver International Airport on the 7th.  Several
        accidents occurred along area roads and highways when
        they became icy and snowpacked.
6-8   In 1932...snowfall totaled 6.3 inches in downtown Denver.
        Most of the snow...5.2 inches...fell on the 8th.  Northeast
        winds gusted to 20 mph on the 6th.

$$


USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.