Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

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356 NOUS45 KBOU 150859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-152300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT MON APR 15 2024 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 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. 13-15 In 1945...heavy snowfall totaled 9.8 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow...4.8 inches...fell on the 14th. Snow fell for a total of 53 consecutive hours. This was the second big snow in less than 2 weeks. The air mass was very cold for April. High temperatures of 21 degrees on the 14th and 32 degrees on the 15th were record low maximums for the those dates. 13-17 In 2001...a huge dust storm over southern and inner Mongolia during April 3rd through the 6th lifted desert dust into the jet stream. This dust cloud moved over metro Denver on the 13th and persisted through the 17th. The cloud created widespread haze...giving the sky a milkish cast due to the scattering of incoming solar radiation. 14-15 In 1873...on the 14th and 14th...north winds blew a gale during the afternoon on both days. Winds were brisk throughout each day. In 1902...from the 14th to the 15th...snowfall totaled 6.0 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow melted as it fell. Northeast winds were sustained to 20 mph. In 1910...strong winds occurred on the 14th and 15th. Northeast winds were sustained to 52 mph on the 14th. North winds were sustained to 44 mph on the 15th. In 1921...from the 14th to the 15th...heavy snowfall and strong winds produced near-blizzard conditions in the city. Snowfall totaled 10.0 inches. Strong north winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 54 mph on the 15th produced drifts to several feet in depth. The heavy wet snow caused extensive damage to trees...utility poles...and buildings. Precipitation from the storm was 1.73 inches. Very heavy snow also fell in the foothills. At Silver Lake...in the mountains west of Boulder...95 inches of snow fell in 32.5 hours on the 14th and 15th. In 1935...dense dust...apparently behind a dry cold front... enveloped the city at 1:00 PM on the 14th and persisted through the night. The dust blew into the city on northeast winds sustained to 30 mph with gusts to 32 mph. By mid-morning on the 15th...the dust had become light and continued as such into the evening. North winds were sustained to only 13 mph on the 15th. In 1999...from the 14th to the 15th...a spring storm dumped heavy snow over portions of metro Denver. Nearly 2 feet of snow fell in the foothills with half a foot to a foot over western and southern suburbs. The heavy snow alleviated drought conditions and associated high fire danger that prevailed during much of the winter season. Snowfall totals included: 22 inches in Coal Creek Canyon...20 inches at Wondervu...19 inches at Genesee...17 inches near Evergreen and Nederland and at Idaho Springs and Tiny Town...14 inches at Georgetown...13 inches at Morrison...10 inches near Sedalia...9 inches in south Boulder...8 inches at Highlands Ranch and Wheat Ridge...and 7 inches at Littleton and Parker. Only 3.4 inches of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North-northwest winds gusted to 41 mph on the 15th at Denver International Airport. In 2021...a storm system produced bands of heavier snow in and near the Front Range Foothills...where storm totals ranged from 8 to nearly 14 inches. Further east...storm totals ranged from 3 to 7 inches...including 5.7 inches at Denver International Airport. 15 In 1874...light snow developed around daybreak and became moderate to heavy by mid-morning and continued into the early evening. While most of the snow melted as it fell... total precipitation from the melted snow was 0.95 inch. This would make the estimated snowfall nearly 10 inches. In 1963...high winds were widespread across metro Denver. West winds gusted to 63 mph in Denver at Stapleton Airport with sustained winds of 35 mph and gusts to 70 mph in downtown Boulder. The winds caused extensive damage to buildings and other property. Visibility was briefly reduced to 1/2 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport. In 1998...another spring storm brought heavy snow to the foothills. Thirty to 40 vehicles were involved in accidents along I-70 near Georgetown. The combination of poor visibilities...slick roads...and careless drivers led to the multi-car pileups. Only minor injuries were reported. The accidents forced the closure of all of I-70`s eastbound lanes. Snowfall totals included 12 inches at Genesee and 10 inches at Aspen Springs...Chief Hosa...Georgetown...near Morrison...and on North Turkey Creek. Only 0.1 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. East winds gusted to 30 mph at Denver International Airport. In 2002...unseasonable warm weather resulted in two records being broken. The high temperature of 84 degrees was a record maximum for the date. The low temperature of 57 degrees was a record high minimum for the date. 15-16 In 1900...from the 15th to the 16th...heavy rainfall totaled 2.33 inches. A trace of snow was mixed with the rain at times. In 1950...from the 15th to the 16th...thunderstorms and heavy rain behind a cold front produced 2.13 inches of rain in 24 hours at Stapleton Airport. In 2003...a fast moving Pacific storm system moved across Colorado allowing strong winds to develop over the eastern foothills and metro Denver from the 15th to the 16th. Northwest winds gusted to 59 mph at Denver International Airport late in the evening of the 15th. In 2016...1.22 inches of precipitation was measured at Denver International Airport which was the greatest daily amount for the month. In 2020...a potent storm system dropped out of the northern Rockies and produced moderate to heavy snow over portions of the Front Range mountains...foothills and adjacent plains. The heaviest snow fell in and near the foothills north of I-70. In the mountains and foothills...storm totals included: 30 inches near Jamestown...27 inches near Nederland...22 inches near Allenspark...21 inches near St Mary`s Glacier...18 inches in Estes Park...16 inches near Crescent Village and Deer Ridge...15.5 inches near Aspen Springs...and 15 inches near Pinecliffe. In Boulder...16.9 inches of snow helped to establish a new seasonal snowfall record of 151.2 inches. The previous seasonal snowfall record in Boulder was 142.9 inches in 1908-1909. Along the I-25 corridor...storm totals included: 14.5 inches in Niwot...13.5 inches in Frederick...13 inches in Broomfield... 12 inches in Lafayette and near Longmont...10.5 inches in Arvada...10 inches in Erie...Louisville...and Westminster...7 inches in Brighton...6.5 inches in Edgewater and Northglenn...and 5.5 inches in Greeley. Snowfall totaled 1.9 inches at Denver International Airport. In 2021...a storm system produced bands of heavy snow in and near the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 13.8 inches at St. Mary`s Glacier...12.9 inches at Aspen Park...10 inches in Genesee...9.5 inches at Ken Caryl...9 inches in Crescent Village...8.5 inches in Arvada and Westminster...8 inches at Evergreen and Sedalia...with 3 to 7 inches elsewhere. At Denver International Airport... 5.7 inches inches of snowfall was observed. 15-17 In 1922...from the 15th to the 17th...heavy snowfall totaled 9.0 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow...6.0 inches... fell on the 16th. This was the third major snowstorm in a week. Northwest winds were sustained to 43 mph with gusts to 47 mph on the 15th. In 2016...a powerful spring snowstorm brought heavy...wet snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. Storm totals generally ranged from 2 to 4 feet in the foothills with 1 to 2 feet in the mountain west of Denver and along the Palmer Divide. Along the I-25 Corridor storm totals ranged from 6 to 20 inches...with highest amounts across the western and southern suburbs. Some of those totals included: 16 inches in Aurora and Superior...15 inches at the National Weather Service Office in Boulder... 14.5 inches in Broomfield...13.5 inches in Westminster... officially 12.1 inches at Denver International Airport...12 inches in Louisville...11.5 inches in Arvada...11 inches near Englewood...and 10.5 inches near Wheat Ridge. At Denver International Airport...there were 852 flight cancellations... most of which occurred on the 16th. The heavy wet snowfall broke trees limbs and caused scattered power outages. Over five thousand customers were without power on the 16th...and over two thousand on the 17th. Xcel Energy brought in extra crews from surrounding states to help restore power and minimize outage times through the storm. Numerous but mostly temporary road closures from 1 to 5 hours occurred throughout the storm. This included portions of I-70 east and west of Denver...Highway 103 from Idaho Springs to Evergreen and Highway 119 through Black Hawk. $$