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000
NOUS45 KBOU 190859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-192300-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT TUE MAR 19 2024

...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.
17-19 In 1933...rain changed to snow on the evening of the 17th
        and continued through mid-day of the 19th.  Snowfall
        totaled 5.6 inches with 0.83 inch of precipitation in
        in the city.  North winds were sustained to 38 mph with
        gusts to 46 mph on the 18th and to 30 mph with gusts to
        43 mph on the 19th.
      In 2003...one of the worst blizzards since historic records
        began in 1872 struck metro Denver with a vengeance.  Heavy
        wet snow accumulating to around 3 feet in the city and to
        more than 7 feet in the foothills brought transportation
        to a near standstill.  North winds sustained to 30 mph with
        gusts as high as 41 mph produced drifts to 6 feet in the
        city.  The estimated cost of property damage alone...not
        including large commercial buildings...was 93 million dollars...
        making it the costliest snowstorm ever.  Mayor Wellington
        Webb of Denver said..."This is the storm of the century...a
        backbreaker...a record breaker...a roof breaker."  Two people
        died in Aurora from heart attacks after shoveling the heavy
        wet snow.  The National Guard sent 40 soldiers and 20 heavy
        duty vehicles to rescue stranded travelers along I-70 east
        of Gun Club Road.  The heavy wet snow caused roofs of homes
        and businesses to collapse.  The snow also downed trees...
        branches...and power lines.  Two people were injured when the
        roofs of their homes collapsed.  In Denver alone...at least
        258 structures were damaged.  In Arvada...a roof collapse at
        West Gate Stables killed a horse.  Up to 135 thousand people
        lost power during the storm...and it took several days for
        power to be restored in some areas.  Denver International
        Airport was closed...stranding about 4000 travelers.  The
        weight of the heavy snow caused a 40-foot gash in a portion
        of the tent roof...forcing the evacuation of that section of
        the main terminal building.  Avalanches in the mountains and
        foothills closed many roads...including I-70...stranding
        hundreds of skiers and travelers.  Along I-70...an avalanche
        released by the Colorado Department of Transportation...blocked
        the interstate in both directions for several hours.  Several
        residences between Bakerville and Silver Plume were evacuated
        because of the high avalanche danger.  At Eldora Ski Area...270
        skiers were stranded when an avalanche closed the main access
        road.  After the storm ended...a military helicopter had to
        ferry food to the resort until the road could be cleared.  The
        heavy snow trapped thousands of residents in their foothills
        homes in Jefferson County for several days.  Two homes burned
        to the ground when fire crews could not reach the residences.
        Some schools remained closed well into the following week.
        The storm officially dumped 31.8 inches of snow at the site of
        the former Stapleton International Airport...the most snowfall
        from a single storm since the all-time record snowfall of 37.5
        inches on December 4-5...1913.  The storm made March 2003 the
        snowiest March on record...the 4th snowiest month on record...
        and the 5th wettest March on record.  The 22.9 inches of snow
        on the 18th into the 19th was the greatest 24 hour snowfall
        ever recorded in the city during the month of March.  The
        storm was also a drought-buster...breaking 19 consecutive
        months of below normal precipitation in the city.  Snowfall
        across metro Denver ranged from 2 feet to more than 3 feet.
        The highest amounts included:  40 inches in Aurora...38 inches
        in Centennial and 6 miles east of Parker...37 inches at Buckley
        AFB...35 inches in southwest Denver...34 inches in Louisville...
        32 inches in Arvada...31 inches in Broomfield and Westminster...
        and 22.5 inches in Boulder.  In the foothills...snowfall ranged
        from 3 feet to more than 7 feet.  Some of the most impressive
        storm totals included:  87.5 inches atop Fritz Peak and in
        Rollinsville...83 inches at Cabin Creek...74 inches near Bergen
        Park...73 inches northwest of Evergreen...72 inches in Coal Creek
        Canyon...70 inches at Georgetown...63 inches near Jamestown...60
        inches near Blackhawk...55 inches at Eldora Ski Area...54 inches
        8 miles west of Sedalia...and 46.6 inches at Ken Caryl Ranch.
        The storm was the result of a very moist...intense slow moving
        Pacific system which tracked across the Four Corners and into
        southeastern Colorado...which allowed deep easterly upslope
        flow to form along the Front Range.
18-19 In 1927...heavy snowfall was 6.5 inches in downtown Denver.
        Northwest winds were sustained to 28 mph on the 18th.
      In 1974...heavy snowfall totaled 5.8 inches at Stapleton
        International Airport where northeast winds gusted to
        33 mph on the 19th.
      In 2018...a storm system brought locally heavy snowfall to
        the Palmer Divide south of Denver.  Storm totals included
        10.5 inches in Franktown...10 inches near Elizabeth and
        The Pinery...9 inches at Ponderosa Park...with 5 inches in
        Lone Tree. At Denver International Airport...just 0.7 inch
        of snowfall was observed.
18-20 In 2020...a powerful storm system brought blizzard conditions
        to the plains east of Interstate 25. Numerous roads
        closures were posted east of Interstate 25 and over the
        Palmer Divide. Highways closings included portions of
        eastbound interstates 70 and 76 due to strong winds and
        whiteout conditions. I-70 was also closed westbound into
        the mountains due to heavy snow and numerous accidents.
        In the Front Range Foothills...storm totals included:  23
        inches near Nederland...22 inches at Aspen Springs...18.5
        inches near Jamestown...17 inches at Genesee...15 inches at
        Evergreen and 12 inches at Bergen Park.  Along the urban
        corridor...storm totals included:  11 inches at Centennial
        and Ponderosa Park; 10.5 inches at Lone Tree...10 inches
        near Commerce City...with 5 to 9 inches elsewhere including
        6 inches at Denver International Airport. At Greeley and
        Denver International Airport...north-northwest winds gusted
        to 49 mph.
18-21 In 1907...a warm spell resulted in 6 daily temperature
        records.  Record maximum temperatures of 82 degrees
        occurred on the 18th with 81 degrees on the 19th and
        80 degrees on the 20th.  Record high minimum temperatures
        of 52 degrees occurred on the 19th and 20th with 54
        degrees on the 21st.
19    In 1969...high winds buffeted the Front Range foothills
        causing damage in Boulder and Jefferson counties.  A
        freight train was derailed near the entrance to a canyon
        20 miles west of Denver when some empty cars were caught
        on a curve by a gust of wind.  Two light planes were
        heavily damaged at Jefferson County Airport.  Winds
        gusted to 105 mph at the National Center for Atmospheric
        Research in Boulder...62 mph in downtown Boulder...and 80
        to 90 mph at Boulder Airport.  Northwest winds gusted to
        49 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1976...northwest winds gusted to 55 mph in Denver with
        stronger winds along the foothills.  The strong cold
        winds kicked up some blowing dust...reducing the visibility
        to near zero at times at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1982...high winds across metro Denver caused minor damage
        to a few mobile homes at Lowry Air Force Base.  West wind
        gusts reached 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport
        where visibility was briefly reduced to 1/4 mile in blowing
        dust.
      In 1995...strong winds associated with a Pacific cold front
        blew across metro Denver.  A west wind gust to 48 mph was
        recorded at Denver International Airport.  Winds gusted
        to 59 mph at the site of the former Stapleton International
        Airport.
      In 2010...a storm system produced deep upslope and brought
        heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range.  The
        foothills of Boulder and Jefferson Counties were the
        hardest hit.  Storm totals included:  26 inches at
        Coal Creek Canyon...25.5 inches...4 miles southeast of
        Conifer; 25 inches at Genesee...24.5 inches near Kittredge...
        23.5 inches...6 miles east of Nederland...20.5 inches...3
        miles west of Jamestown...5 miles southeast of Aspen
        Park and 5 miles southeast Idaho Springs; and 18 inches
        near Ralston Buttes.  In and around Denver...storm
        totals included:  15 inches in Golden; 12.5 inches in
        Boulder...11.5 inches at Lone Tree; 10.5 inches near
        Castle Pines; 11 inches...6.5 miles southwest of Castle
        Rock; 10 inches near Englewood...Highlands Ranch and 3
        miles southwest of Wheat Ridge; 9 inches...4 miles
        west of Arvada...Broomfield...Centenniel...Elizabeth and
        Westminster; 8.5 inches...in southeast Denver and
        Littleton; 7.5 inches in Louisville and near Thornton;
        7 inches...4 miles south of Aurora...Lakewood and Niwot;
        6.5 inches...4 miles northwest of Castle Rock...4 miles
        northwest of Denver and Northglenn; 6 inches in
        Brighton and 5 miles southeast of Sedalia.  Officially...
        1.7 inches of snow was measured at Denver International
        Airport.
19-20 In 1912...post-frontal heavy snowfall of 6.3 inches was
        measured in downtown Denver.  North winds were sustained
        to 28 mph with gusts to 30 mph on the 19th.  The strong
        cold front plunged temperatures from a high of 60 degrees
        on the 19th to a low of 1 degree on the 20th.
      In 1959...a major storm dumped heavy snowfall of 7.7 inches on
        Stapleton Airport where north winds gusting to 44 mph
        caused much blowing and drifting snow.  Many highways were
        blocked...and there was damage to phone lines along the South
        Platte River.  The storm started as rain and changed to
        heavy wet snow...which froze on the lines causing the poles
        to break.  The storm caused 2 deaths over eastern Colorado.
      In 2006...strong northerly winds...associated with a surface
        low pressure system that intensified as it moved into the
        central Great Plains...brought heavy wet snow to the eastern
        foothills and northeastern plains of Colorado.  The hardest
        hit areas included the foothills of Boulder and Gilpin
        counties.  Storm totals included: 15 inches at Rollinsville...
        14 inches at Aspen Springs...12.5 inches near Nederland...and
        5.7 inches in the Denver Stapleton area.  Strong winds...heavy
        snow...and poor visibility forced the closure of Interstate 70
        from Denver east to the Kansas state line.  North winds
        gusted to 32 mph at Denver International Airport on the 19th.
19-21 In 1888...heavy snowfall totaled 8.6 inches over downtown
        Denver.  North winds were sustained to 27 mph on the 19th.

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